GIFT   OF 
MICHAEL  REESE 


MYTHS    AND    FOLK-TALES 


OF  THE 


RUSSIANS,   WESTERN    SLAVS,   AND   MAGYARS 


MYTHS  AND  FOLK-TALES 


OF  THE 


RUSSIANS,'  WESTERN    SLAVS,    AND 
MAGYARS 


BY    JEREMIAH    CURTIN 

>  •» 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,   BROWN,   AND    COMPANY 
1903 


GfR 


Copyright,  1890 
BY  JEREMIAH  CURTIN 


•  C 


JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE 


To   FRANCIS  JAMES   CHILD,   PH.D.,  LL.D. 

Professor  of  English  in  Harvard  University, 
Cambridge,  Mass. 


MY  DEAR  PROFESSOR  CHILD, — 

It  is  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  since  you 
began  for  Harvard  that  collection  of  myths,  folk-tales,  and 
ballads,  in  all  European  languages,  which  has  grown  under 
your  hand  to  such  proportions  that  it  is  now,  perhaps,  the 
most  complete  of  its  kind  in  either  hemisphere. 

This  work  was  begun  by  you  through  a  clear  perception 
of  what  was  needed  for  laborers  in  a  most  important  field 
of  inquiry,  and  achieved  by  tireless  and  patient  care  in 
seeking  and  finding. 

Your  labors  as  a  scholar  are  honored  abroad  as  at 
home,  and  your  work  on  English  and  Scottish  ballads 
will  endure  as  a  monument  of  skill  and  devotion. 

During  your  career  as  Professor  you  have  been  true 
to  the  ideals  of  Harvard  scholarship  and  life,  adding  to 
them  meanwhile  something  of  your  own. 

Whoso  adds  to  or  freshens  the  spirit  of  our  revered 
Alma  Mater  deserves  well  of  the  country ;  for  Harvard, 
now  in  the  second  half  of  the  third  century  of  her 
existence,  is  the  oldest  witness  and,  so  far,  the  most 

118537 


iv  Dedication. 


eloquent  that  we   have  to  the  collective  and   continuous 
striving  of  Americans  towards  a  higher  life. 

To  you,  —  the  distinguished  Professor,  the  earnest  scholar, 
the  faithful  friend,  —  I,  one  of  thousands  who  have  listened 
to  your  instruction,  dedicate  this  volume,  gathered  from  a 
field  in  which  you  take  so  much  delight. 


JEREMIAH  CURTIN. 

SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION, 
BUREAU  OF  ETHNOLOGY. 

WASHINGTON  D.  C.  October  23,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION .      vii 


RUSSIAN    MYTHS   AND   FOLK-TALES. 

THE  THREE  KINGDOMS,  —  THE  COPPER,  THE  SILVER, 

AND  THE  GOLDEN i 

^  IVAN  TSAREVICH,   THE    FIRE-BIRD,  AND    THE    GRAY 

WOLF 20 

x~     IVAN    THE    PEASANT'S    SON    AND    THE    LITTLE   MAN 
HIMSELF     ONE  -  FINGER     TALL,    HIS     MUSTACHE 

SEVEN  VERSTS  IN  LENGTH 37 

THE  FEATHER  OF  BRIGHT  FINIST  THE  FALCON  ...      47 
v    THE    PIG    WITH    GOLD    BRISTLES,    THE    DEER    WITH 
GOLDEN  HORNS,  AND  THE  GOLDEN-MANED  STEED 

WITH  GOLDEN  TAIL 59 

vi-     WATER  OF  YOUTH,  WATER  OF  LIFE,  AND  WATER  OF 

DEATH 72 

THE  FOOTLESS  AND  BLIND  CHAMPIONS 82 

THE  THREE  KINGDOMS 97 

i   *-•  KOSHCHEI  WITHOUT-DEATH 106 

•  ^VASSILISSA  GOLDEN  TRESS,  BAREHEADED  BEAUTY     .     124 

v  THE  RING  WITH  TWELVE  SCREWS 137 

V  THE  FOOTLESS  AND  THE  BLIND 149 

*  KOSHCHEI  WITHOUT-DEATH 165 

Go  TO  THE  VERGE  OF  DESTRUCTION  AND  BRING  BACK 

SHMAT-RAZUM 179 


vi  Contents. 


PAGE 

^   MARYA  MOREVNA 203 

Variant  of  the  Rescue  of  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  the  Win- 

/\           ning  of  the  Colt 217 

^.YELENA  THE  WISE 218 

Vt      THE  SEVEN  SIMEONS,  FULL  BROTHERS 228 

THE  ENCHANTED  PRINCESS 238 

v     VASSILISSA  THE  CUNNING,  AND  THE' TSAR  OF  THE  SEA  249 


,  CHEKH   MYTHS   AND   FOLK-TALES. 

BOYISLAV,  YOUNGEST  OF  TWELVE 273 

THE  TABLE,  THE  PACK,  AND  THE  BAG 295 

THE  KING  OF  THE  TOADS 311 

THE  MOUSE-HOLE,  AND  THE  UNDERGROUND  KINGDOM  331 

THE  CUIRASSIER  AND  THE  HORNED  PRINCESS    .     .    .  356 

THE  TREACHEROUS  BROTHERS 370 


MAGYAR   MYTHS   AND   FOLK-TALES. 

THE  POOR  MAN,  AND  THE  KING  OF  THE  CROWS  .  .  409 

THE  USELESS  WAGONER 424 

MIRKO,  THE  KING'S  SON 434 

THE  REED  MAIDEN 457 

KlSS  MlKLOS,  AND  THE  GREEN  DAUGHTER  OF  THE 

GREEN  KING 477 

THE  HEDGEHOG,  THE  MERCHANT,  THE  KING,  AND  THE 

POOR  MAN 517 


IX 


INTRODUCTION. 


A  FEW  tens  of  years  ago  it  was  all- important  to  under- 
**•  stand  and  explain  the  brotherhood  and  blood-bond 
of  Aryan  nations,  and  their  relation  to  the  Semitic  race ;  t<? 
discover  and  set  forth  the  meaning  of  that  which  in  mental 
work,  historic  strivings,  and  spiritual  ideals  ties  the  historic 
nations  to  one  another.  At  the  present  time  this  work  is 
done,  if  not  completely,  at  least  measurably  well,  and  a  new 
work  awaits  us,  to  demonstrate  that  there  is  a  higher  and  a 
mightier  bond,  —  the  relationship  of  created  things  with  one 
another,  and  their  inseverable  connection  with  That  which 
some  men  reverence  as  God,  but  which  other  men  call  the 
Unknowable,  the  Unseen. 

This  new  work,  which  is  the  necessary  continuation  of 
the  first,  and  which  alone  can  give  it  completeness  and 
significance,  will  be  achieved  when  we  have  established  the 
science  of  mythology. 

Of  course  all  that  may  be  attempted  in  a  volume  like  the 
present  is  to  throw  out  a  few  hints,  and  to  mention  some  of 
the  uses  of  mythology  as  a  science. 

There  is  a  large  body  of  myths  and  folk-tales  already 
published  in  Europe,  and  still  a  great  number  as  yet  un- 
collected.  Many  of  these  tales  are  of  remarkable  beauty. 
They  are  of  deep  interest  both  to  young  and  old,  and 
nowhere  do  they  enjoy  more  delicate  appreciation  than 
among  educated  people  in  America  and  England.  The 


Introduction. 


The  service  of  the  science  of  mythology  will  be  great  in 
connection  with  the  myth-tales  of  nations,  with  literature, 
and  with  early  history;  but  its  weightiest  service  will  be 
rendered  in  the  domain  of  religion,  for  without  mythology 
there  can  be  no  thorough  understanding  of  any  religion  on 
earth,  either  in  its  inception  or  its  growth.  •-- 

But  how  is  this  science  from  which  men  may  receive  such 
service  to  be  founded? 

In  one  way  alone :  by  obtaining  from  races  outside  of 
the  Aryan  and  Semitic  their  myths,  their  beliefs,  their  view 
of  the  world ;  this  done,  the  rest  will  follow  as  a  result  of 
intelligent  labor.  But  the  great  battle  is  in  the  first  part 
of  the  work,  for  the  inherent  difficulty  of  the  task  has  been 
increased  by  Europeans,  who  have  exterminated  great  num- 
bers among  the  best  primitive  races,  partially  civilized  or 
rather  degraded  others,  and  rendered  the  remainder  distrust- 
ful and  not  easily  approached  on  the  subject  of  their  myths 
and  ethnic  beliefs. 

As  to  the  collection  of  these  myths  and  beliefs,  the  follow- 
ing may  be  stated  :  — 

There  is  everywhere  a  sort  of  selvage  of  short  tales  and 
anecdotes,  small  information  about  ghosts  and  snakes, 
among  all  these  races,  which  are  easily  obtained ;  and  most 
Europeans  seem  to  think  that  when  they  have  collected 
some  of  these  trivial  things  they  have  all  that  the  given 
people  possess.  But  they  are  greatly  mistaken.  All  these 
people  have  something  better.  There  was  not  a  single 
stock  of  Indians  in  America  which  did  not  possess,  in 
beautiful  forms,  the  elements  of  an  extensive  literature, 
with  a  religion  and  philosophy  which  would  have  thrown 
light  on  many 'beginnings  of  Aryan  and  Semitic  thought, 
a  knowledge  of  which  in  so  many  cases  is  now  lost  to  us, 
but  which  we  hope  to  recover  in  time.  The  same  may  be 


Introduction.  xi 


said  of  other  primitive  races,  still  unbroken,  unmodified ; 
and  though  much  has  been  lost,  still  enough  remains  to 
serve  our  purpose  fully,  if  civilized  men  instead  of  slaying 
"  savages,"  directly  and  indirectly,  will  treat  them  as  human 
beings,  and  not  add  to  the  labor  of  those  workers  who  in 
the  near  future  will  surely  endeavor,  singly  or  in  small 
groups,  to  study  the  chief  primitive  races  of  the  earth,  and 
win  from  them,  not  short  insignificant  odds  and  ends  of  in- 
formation, but  great  masses  of  material;  for  the  educated 
world  may  rest  assured  that  these  races  possess  in  large 
volume  some  of  the  most  beautiful  productions  of  the 
human  mind,  and  facts  that  are  not  merely  of  great,  but  of 
unique,  value. 

In  the  introduction  to  my  volume,  "  Myths  and  Folk-lore  of 
Ireland,"  I  endeavored  to  explain  in  brief  what  the  myths  of 
America  are,  especially  the  Creation-myths,  referring  only 
to  those  which  I  myself  have  collected.  I  stated  that,  "  All 
myths  have  the  same  origin,  and  that  all  run  parallel  up  to  a 
certain  point,  which  may  be  taken  as  the  point  to  which  the 
least  developed  peoples  have  risen"  (page  27).  I  do  not 
know  any  better  way  of  illustrating  this  than  to  bring  into 
evidence  myths  of  the  Morning-star.  The  Indians  have 
a  great  many  myths  in  which  the  Morning-star  figures  as 
the  Light-bringer,  —  the  same  office  as  that  indicated  by  the 
Latin  word  Lucifer ;  and  here  I  may  be  permitted  to 
present  a  short  chapter  of  my  personal  experience  with 
reference  to  that  word  and  the  Morning-star. 

I  remember  well  the  feelings  roused  in  my  mind  at 
mention  or  sight  of  the  name  Lucifer  during  the  earlier 
years  of  my  life.  It  stood  for  me  as  the  name  of  a  being 
stupendous,  dreadful  in  moral  deformity,  lurid,  hideous,  and 
mighty.  I  remember  also  the  surprise  with  which  when  I 
had  grown  somewhat  older  and  begun  to  study  Latin,  I 


xii  Introduction. 


came  upon  the  name  in  Virgil,  where  it  means  the  Light- 
bringer,  or  Morning- star,  —  the  herald  of  the  sun.  Many 
years  after  I  had  found  the  name  in  Virgil,  I  spent  a  night 
at  the  house  of  a  friend  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  right  at 
the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  night  was  clear  but 
without  a  moon,  —  a  night  of  stars,  which  is  the  most  im- 
pressive of  all  nights,  vast,  brooding,  majestic.  At  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  I  woke,  and  being  near  an  un- 
curtained window,  rose  and  looked  out.  Rather  low  in 
the  east  was  the  Morning-star,  shining  like  silver,  with  a 
bluish  tinge  of  steel.  I  looked  towards  the  west;  the 
great  infinity  was  filled  with  the  hosts  of  heaven,  ranged 
behind  this  Morning-star.  I  saw  at  once  the  origin  of  the 
myth  which  grew  to  have  such  tremendous  moral  meaning, 
because  the  Morning-star  was  not  in  this  case  the  usher  of 
the  day  but  the  chieftain  of  night,  the  Prince  of  Darkness, 
the  mortal  enemy  of  the  Lord  of  Light.  I  returned  to  bed 
knowing  that  the  battle  in  heaven  would  soon  begin.  I 
rose  when  the  sun  was  high  next  morning.  All  the  world 
was  bright,  shining  and  active,  gladsome  and  fresh,  from  the 
rays  of  the  sun ;  the  kingdom  of  light  was  established ;  but 
the  Prince  of  Darkness  and  all  his  confederates  had  van- 
ished, cast  down  from  the  sky,  and  to  the  endless  eternity 
of  God  their  places  will  know  them  no  more  in  that  night 
again.  They  are  lost  beyond  hope  or  redemption,  beyond 
penance  or  prayer. 

I  have  in  mind  at  this  moment  two  Indian  stories  of 
the  Morning-star,  —  one  Modoc,  the  other  Delaware.  The 
Modoc  story  is  very  long,  and  contains  much  valuable  mat- 
ter ;  but  the  group  of  incidents  that  I  wish  to  refer  to  here 
are  the  daily  adventures  and  exploits  of  a  personage  who 
seems  to  be  no  other  than  the  sky  with  the  sun  in  it.  This 
personage  is  destroyed  every  evening.  He  always  gets  into 


Introduction.  xiii 


trouble,  and  is  burned  up ;  but  in  his  back  is  a  golden  disk, 
which  neither  fire  nor  anything  in  the  world  can  destroy. 
From  this  disk  his  body  is  reconstituted  every  morning; 
and  all  that  is  needed  for  the  resurrection  is  the  summons 
of  the  Morning-star,  who  calls  out,  "  It  is  time  to  rise,  old 
man;  you  have  slept  long  enough."  Then  the  old  man 
springs  new  again  from  his  ashes  through  virtue  of  the 
immortal  disk  and  the  compelling  word  of  the  star. 

Now,  the  Morning-star  is  the  attendant  spirit  or 
"  medicine  "  of  the  personage  with  the  disk,  and  cannot 
escape  the  performance  of  his  office ;  he  has  to  work  at 
it  forever.  So  the  old  man  cannot  fail  to  rise  every  morn- 
ing. As  the  golden  disk  is  no  other  than  the  sun,  the 
Morning- star  of  the  Modocs  is  the  same  character  as  the 
Lucifer  of  the  Latins. 

The  Delaware  story,  also  a  long  one,  has  many  grotesque 
and  striking  elements.  I  will  tell  it  in  a  closely  compressed 
form.  The  person  who  is  the  hero  of  this  tale  has  a  wife, 
who,  while  he  is  absent  hunting,  turns  into  a  man-eater,  — 
becomes  a  devouring  agency  with  a  mania  to  swallow  all  flesji, 
but  has  a  special  and  craving  mania  to  eat  up  her  own 
husband  first  of  all ;  so  she  runs  to  the  woods  to  find  him. 
Informed  by  a  wise,  talking  dog,  a  species  of  brother  of  his,  who 
had  sprung  out  to  anticipate  the  woman,  the  man  rushes  off 
southward,  runs  with  all  speed  till  he  reaches  a  deep  mighty 
river,  where  is  an  old  man  who  makes  a  bridge  by  stretching 
his  neck  across  the  water.  The  hunted  husband  speaks 
kindly,  and  implores  for  means  to  cross  or  his  wife  will 
devour  him.  The  old  man  lies  down  with  his  shoulder  on 
one  bank,  stretches  his  neck,  makes  it  flat  like  a  horse's  neck, 
to  give  safe  passage ;  soon  his  head  is  on  the  other  bank, 
and  the  man  walks  over.  The  old  bridge-maker  promises  to 
delay  the  woman,  and  then  throw  her  into  the  river,  where 


xiv  Introduction. 


she  will  be  eaten  by  monsters,  —  all  save  her  stomach,  in 
which  her  life  resides ;  that  will  float  down  with  the  current, 
come  to  life,  and  the  woman  will  be  as  well  and  furious  as 
ever,  unless  the  stomach  is  dragged  out,  cut  to  pieces,  and 
burned. 

The  hunted  man  hastens,  runs  westward  by  the  bank  of 
the  river,  runs  till  he  comes  to  two  aunts  who  are  witches. 
They  promise  to  help  him  and  kill  the  pursuer.  Soon  after, 
when  the  old  man  has  shortened  his  neck  and  is  sitting  on 
his  own  side  of  the  river,  the  wife  comes  up  in  hot  pursuit, 
talks  roughly,  tries  to  hurry  the  old  pontifex ;  but  he  will 
not  hurry,  waits,  and  then  stretches  his  neck,  putting  the 
narrow  side  upward ;  it  is  no  wider  than  the  woman's  feet. 
She  storms,  but  he  says  that  being  old  he  might  break  his 
neck  were  he  to  give  the  broad  side  as  a  path ;  she  must 
walk  on  the  narrow  side,  and  carefully  too.  She  begins  to 
cross,  but  in  the  middle  of  the  river  grows  restive  and  angry. 
The  old  man  jerks  his  neck  to  one  side ;  she  falls  to  the 
water  and  is  eaten  right  away,  all  save  her  stomach,  which 
flpats  with  the  current.  But  the  aunts,  the  two  witches,  are 
watching ;  they  see  and  pull  out  the  stomach,  cut  it  up,  and 
burn  the  life  of  that  man-eater. 

The  man  travels  westward  till  he  sees  a  young  woman 
gathering  branches  for  fuel.  He  speaks  to  her,  is  pleased ; 
she  is  mild-eyed,  kind-looking.  He  asks  her  to  marry  him ; 
she  says  she  is  willing  if  he  can  live  with  her  grandmother, 
who  is  very  thick,  very  ugly,  and  malicious.  He  goes  home 
with  the  young  woman ;  they  are  married. 

Soon  after  the  marriage  the  old  woman  took  her  son- 
in-law  to  hunt  on  an  island  in  a  lake.  They  landed.  She 
said,  "  Go  down  there,"  pointing  to  a  place ;  "  I  will  drive 
the  game."  He  started,  and  when  half  way,  looked  back ; 
the  old  woman  was  in  the  canoe  paddling  to  the  other 


Introduction.  xv 


shore.  He  called;  she  would  not  listen,  and  left  him 
alone  on  the  island.  There  was  no  escape;  When  the 
sun  had  gone  down  and  darkness  came,  the  water  of  the 
lake  began  to  rise,  and  flooded  the  place.  He  selected 
the  highest  tree,  and  began  to  climb,  —  the  water  all  the 
time  rising;  he  climbed,  and  continued  to  climb.  About 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  all  the  trees  on  the  island, 
except  that  tree,  were  covered.  Around  on  every  side 
were  great  hungry  savage-eyed  creatures,  rising  with  the 
water,  waiting  to  eat  the  man.  He  looked,  saw  the  Morn- 
ing-star, and  cried  out :  "  When  I  was  young  the  Morning- 
star  appeared  to  me  in  a  dream,  and  said  that  if  ever  I 
should  be  in  distress  he  would  save  me." 

The  star  heard  the  call,  turned  to  a  small  boy  standing 
sentry  at  his  door,  and  said,  "  Who  is  that  shouting  on  the 
island?" 

"That,"  said  the  boy,  "is  the  old  woman's  son-in-law. 
She  put  him  there.  He  says  you  appeared  to  him  in  a 
dream  and  promised  to  save  him." 

"  I  did,  and  I  will."  The  Morning-star  came  forth  from 
his  house  and  called :  "  Let  daylight  come  !  " 

Dawn  came  that  moment ;  the  water  began  to  fall, 
and  at  sunrise  the  island  was  dry.  The  man  was  saved, 
came  down,  went  to  the  landing-place,  and  hid  in  the 
bushes.  Soon  the  old  woman's  canoe  struck  the  shore ; 
the  man  heard  her  say :  "  Well,  I  suppose  the  larger  bones 
of  my  son-in-law  are  under  the  tree.  I  must  go  and  eat  the 
marrow."  When  she  had  gone  far  enough,  he  sprang  into 
the  canoe  and  paddled  away.  The  old  woman  turned,  saw 
the  escape  of  her  son-in-law,  and  cried :  "  Come  back ! 
I  '11  play  no  more  tricks." 

The  man  paddled  to  the  other  shore,  and  went  to  his 
wife.  The  old  woman  was  alone,  not  able  to  escape. 


x  vi  In  troduction . 


When  darkness  came,  the  lake  began  to  rise.  She  climbed 
the  highest  tree,  climbed  till  the  water  was  nearing  the  top, 
and  the  hungry,  terrible  creatures  were  waiting  to  eat  her. 
Then  she  called  out  towards  the  east :  "  When  J  was  young 
the  Morning-star  appeared  to  me  in  a  dream,  and  said  he 
would  help  me  out  of  distress." 

The  Morning-star  heard,  and  asked  his  boy :  "  Is  that 
man  on  the  island  yet?" 

"  Oh,"  said  the  boy,  "  the  man  is  at  home ;  the  old 
woman  herself  is  on  the  island  now.  She  says  that  you 
appeared  to  her  in  a  dream,  and  promised  to  save  her  from 
distress." 

"  I  never  appeared  to  that  old  woman,"  said  the  star. 
"  I  will  not  hurry  daylight  to-day." 

The  water  rose  till  the  old  woman  was  on  the  highest  point 
of  the  tree  that  would  bear  her.  The  water  raised  all  the 
crowd  of  hungry,  terrible  creatures.  They  tore  her  to  pieces, 
devoured  her. 

So  the  Delawares  on  the  Atlantic,  who  enjoy  seniority 
among  the  Algonkin,  —  the  most  widely-extended  Indian 
stock  of  America,  —  agree  with  the  Modocs,  near  the  Pacific, 
in  the  theory  of  the  Morning-star,  which  for  them,  as  for  the 
Latins,  was  the  Light-bearer.  The  opposite  view,  to  which  I 
refer  in  the  night-scene  at  Milwaukee,  gave  birth  to  the  myth 
of  the  struggle  of  the  stars  with  the  sun  for  possession  of  the 
sky.  Now,  a  combination  of  these  two  myths  —  the  one  in 
which  the  Morning-star  is  the  Light-bearer  being  the  ear- 
lier—  gives  us  a  third,  in  which  the  Morning-star  is  not 
merely  an  opponent,  but  a  rebel.  This  third  myth,  after  it 
had  increased  in  age,  came  to  be  used  in  describing,  not  an 
event  in  the  sky,  looked  at  variously  by  primitive  men,  but 
an  event  in  the  moral  world  ;  and  the  stories  of  the  Morning- 
star  and  the  sun  were  transferred  from  the  fields  of  heaven 


Introduction.  xvii 


to  the  kingdom  of  the  soul.  This  done,  Milton  had  at  hand 
the  splendid  mythologic  material  and  accessories  which  he 
used  with  such  power  in  Paradise  Lost. 

I  know  no  American  myth  in  which  the  Morning-star  is 
represented  as  hostile  to  the  sun;  the  discovery  of  one 
would  be  very  interesting  and  valuable,  as  showing  that  the 
primitive  people  of  this  continent  might  possibly  have 
worked  out  a  physical  myth  like  that  made  in  the  Eastern 
hemisphere,  and  afterwards  spiritualized  till  it  was  given  the 
meaning  which  we  find  in  the  pages  of  Milton. 

But  whatever  the  future  may  bring,  the  present  American 
Morning-star  myth  is  interesting ;  for  it  shows  a  complete 
parallelism  with  Aryan  mythology  as  far  as  it  goes,  —  that 
is,  to  the  highest  point  reached  by  the  non-Aryan  tribes 
of  America. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  whatever  be  the  names  of 
the  myth-tale  heroes  at  present,  the  original  heroes  were 
not  human.  They  were  not  men  and  women,  though  in 
most  cases  the  present  heroes  or  heroines  bear  the  names 
of  men  and  women,  or  children ;  they  perform  deeds  which 
no  man  could  perform,  which  only  one  of  the  forces  of 
Nature  could  perform,  if  it  had  the  volition  and  desires  of 
a  person.  This  is  the  great  cause  of  wonderful  deeds  in 
myth-tales. 

The  following  Indian  myth,  in  which  we  know  exactly  who 
the  actors  were,  illustrates  this  fact  very  well.  I  give  the 
myth  from  memory,  and  in  a  compressed  form,  making  first 
the  statement  that  in  a  part  of  eastern  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton, where  I  found  it,  there  are  two  winds,  as  the  Indians  in- 
formed me,  which  are  all,  or  practically  all,  that  blow  in  that 
region.  One  of  these  is  a  northeast,  the  other  a  southwest 
wind.  The  Indians  subdivide  each  one  of  them  into  five. 
Each  of  these  five  is  a  little  different  from  the  other,  —  that 

b 


xviii  Introduction. 


is,  there  are  five  kinds  of  southwest  winds,  and  five  kinds 
of  northeast  winds.  Each  has  a  proper  name  describing 
its  character ;  and  in  telling  the  myth  these  names  are  used, 
just  as  the  name  Ivan  the  Fool,  and  Mirko  the  king's  son  are 
used  in  Russia  and  Hungary.  The  Northeast  brothers  have 
a  sister  more  harassing  and  cruel  than  they,  —  cold,  damp, 
fitful.  She  also  has  a  name  describing  her  character.  The 
five  Southwest  winds  have  grandparents  very  old,  who  live 
in  a  hut  by  themselves.  They  have  no  sister ;  but  the  eldest 
has  a  wife,  brought  by  him  to  Oregon  from  her  birthplace 
in  the  Southern  seas. 

One  time  the  Northeast  winds  challenged  the  others  to  a 
wrestling-match,  in  which  whoever  should  be  thrown  would 
have  his  head  cut  off.  The  Southwest  brothers  were  not 
free  to  refuse ;  they  had  to  accept.  All  the  details  of  this 
match  are  described  precisely  as  if  the  opponents  were  men 
and  not  winds.  The  Southwest  brothers  were  thrown,  every 
one,  and  each  had  his  head  cut  off;  all  were  killed,  and 
now  the  Northeast  brothers  were  lords  of  that  region.  The 
old  feeble  grandparents  were  all  of  the  family  left  in  Oregon. 
The  young  wife  went  home  to  her  parents  and  people  in 
the  Southern  seas.  The  victorious  brothers  did  as  they 
pleased,  —  when  they  wished  to  knock  any  one  down  they 
did  so ;  but  the  crowning  wickedness  of  the  victorious 
family  was  the  malice  of  the  sister  against  the  aged  grand- 
parents. She  came  every  morning  to  their  hut  and  insulted 
them  in  a  manner  that  will  not  bear  recital.  Weeping  and 
helpless,  they  endured  the  foulest  abuse.  The  evil  sister  re- 
joiced, the  wicked  brothers  rejoiced,  and  all  men  besides 
were  suffering.  Some  time  after  the  widow  had  returned  to 
her  home  in  the  Southern  seas  a  son  was  born  to  the  late 
eldest  brother,  —  a  wonderful  boy.  This  posthumous  child 
grew  not  by  years  but  by  days;  and  when  he  was  three 


Introduction.  xix 


weeks  old  he  had  attained  full  growth.  He  was  a  hero  of 
awful  strength ;  nothing  could  resist  him.  He  asked  about 
his  father;  his  mother  told  how  his  fathers  had  perished 
(the  brothers  of  a  father  are  fathers  too  in  the  Indian  system) 
at  the  hands  of  the  Northeast  brothers.  "  I  will  go  to  avenge 
my  fathers,"  said  he,  and  started. 

He  reached  the  coast  near  the  Columbia  River,  which 
he  ascended ;  when  at  the  Cascades  he  began  to  try  his 
strength.  He  pulled  out  the  greatest  trees  with  their  roots, 
overturned  cliffs,  and  went  on  his  way  with  delight.  At  last 
he  arrived  at  the  land  where  his  fathers  had  ruled,  and  went 
first  in  the  early  morning  to  the  hut  of  his  great  grandparents. 
They  were  very  weak  and  wretched,  but  still  they  were  able 
to  tell  of  what  they  had  suffered  from  the  sister.  "  She  will 
soon  be  here,"  said  they;  so  he  lay  in  waiting. 

She  came,  and  was  preparing  to  begin  her  insults  when 
he  seized  her  and  put  her  to  a  painful  death.  Then  he 
challenged  the  five  wicked  brothers  to  a  wrestling-match, 
threw  them  all,  and  cut  their  heads  off.  The  whole  country 
rejoiced.  No  one  felt  pain.  The  young  hero  ruled  that 
land  to  the  delight  of  all.  This  hero  was  not  a  month  old, 
and  since  we  know  the  characters  in  the  story,  we  know 
that  the  story  is  true. 

When,  in  Gaelic,  we  find  heroes  like  the  son  of  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail,  Fialan,  who  at  the  age  of  three  years  slew  whole 
armies,  with  their  champion  leaders,1  and  the  Shee  an 
Gannon,  who  was  born  in  the  morning,  named  at  noon,  and 
went  in  the  evening  to  ask  his  daughter  of  the  King  of 
Erin ;  or  in  Russian,  Ivan  Tsarevich,2  nine  days  old,  who 

1  See  in  Myths  and  Folk-Lore  of  Ireland,  "  Fin  MacCumhail  and 
the  Fenians  of  Erin  in  the  Castle  of  Fear  Dubh,"  p.  221,  and  "  The 
Shee  an  Gannon  and  the  Gruagach  Gaire,"  p.  114. 

2  See  Koshchei  Without-Death,  p.  106. 


xx  Introduction. 


after  three  sleeps  of  three  days'  and  nights'  duration  each, 
went  in  search  of  Peerless  Beauty,  his  bride,  —  we  may 
feel  sure  that  we  are  dealing  mediately  or  immediately  with 
that  category  of  powers  to  which  old-time  divinities  belong, 
the  same  race  of  personages  as  the  Wind  brothers  of 
Oregon. 

Now  we  may  leave  American  myths  and  say  a  few  words 
of  the  nations  to  whom  the  three  groups  of  myth-tales 
belong,  —  the  Russians,  the  Chekhs,  and  the  Magyars.  It  is 
not  easy  to  describe  any  one  of  them  in  a  brief  space,  for 
each  is  remarkable  in  character  and  history. 

The  Russians  are  difficult  to  describe,  not  only  because 
they  are  many,  but  because  of  their  position.  The  key- 
note of  this  position  has  sounded  through  their  whole  his- 
tory, from  the  time  of  Olga  and  Vladimir,  in  the  Kieff 
period,  to  the  present  day.  Listening  to  this  note,  Russian 
leaders  have  gained  political  skill,  while  the  people  have 
confirmed  their  national  instinct  and  endured  burdens 
which  they  would  endure  only  for  the  thing  which 
that  key-note  describes.  To  tell  what  it  is  we  must  make 
a  digression. 

The  first  political  work  of  the  world  soundly  done,  as 
men  of  this  age,  with  minds  of  modern  situation,  are  able 
to  see,  was  the  work  of  Rome.  Rome  was  the  first  power 
to  assimilate  peoples,  to  destroy  provincialism,  to  make  a 
State,  in  the  great  modern  sense  of  the  word.  After  the 
fall  of  Rome  as  a  political  power,  with  its  work  done  and 
delivered,  there  followed  a  still  greater,  — a  new  Rome, 
with  a  wider  ambition,  and  with  plans  further  reaching  than 
those  of  its  predecessor.  This  new  Rome  saw  standing 
before  its  face,  in  the  East  of  Europe,  the  youngest  brothers 
of  the  Aryan  race  —  the  Slavs  —  still  unconverted.  The 
new  Rome  was  as  different  from  the  old  as  two  things  may 


Introduction.  xxi 


be,  save  in  this,  that  both  had  strong  will  to  rule.  The 
difference  was  that  old  Rome  ruled  in  the  name  of  man 
and  better  social  order,  while  new  Rome  ruled  in  the 
name  of  God  and  morality ;  but  new  Rome  was  as  firmly 
fixed  in  purpose  to  rule  by  all  the  weapons  that  strong  men 
may  use  in  the  world,  as  was  old  Rome. 

It  happened  in  history  that  the  Teutonic  branch  of  the 
Aryans  fell  heir  to  the  RLoman  civilization  of  the  West,  and 
acquired  the  administrative  experience  and  pride  of  power 
personal  to  lords  of  the  earth.  These  Teutons,  or  Germans, 
became  the  agents  through  whom  for  a  long  period  the 
Catholic  Church  acted  most  frequently  in  dealing  with 
Eastern  Europeans ;  and  the  Germans  were  determined  to 
be  the  exclusive  dispensers  and  extenders  of  Christianity  in 
that  quarter,  acquiring  at  the  same  time  temporal  lordship 
and  lands  for  themselves.  This  produced  a  conflict  along 
the  whole  eastern  line,  —  on  one  side  a  defensive  struggle 
of  Slav  against  German ;  on  the  other,  that  incursive  and 
attacking  movement  of  the  Germans,  continued  age  after 
age  under  various  forms  and  guises,  but  which  is  as  real 
to-day  and  as  active  as  in  times  of  its  greatest  intensity, 
though  veiled  in  official  circles  with  diplomatic  tact.  On 
the  northern,  or  left  wing  of  their  advance,  the  Germans 
destroyed  ethnologically ;  that  is,  they  conquered  and  Ger- 
manized the  Slavs  from  places  not  far  from  Hamburg  to  a 
considerable  distance  east  of  Berlin.  Next  they  destroyed 
Poland ;  for  they  gained  possession  of  the  original  lands  of 
the  Commonwealth  on  the  Baltic,  and  pushed  the  Poles 
eastward  to  make  good  their  losses  at  the  expense  of  the 
Russians.  The  loss  to  the  Slavs  of  the  Polish  lands  on  the 
Baltic  was  immense ;  and  to  make  the  catastrophe  more 
sorrowful  for  a  man  of  that  stock,  the  Slavs  failed  on  the 
south,  in  the  kingdom  of  Great  Moravia,  which  with  the 


xxii  Introduction. 


present  Moravia  included  the  dominions  of  Hungary,  and 
later  on  failed  from  the  Danube  everywhere  southward  as 
far  as  Slavs  had  a  dwelling. 

When  all  the  Western  Slavs  had  fallen,  —  not  because 
they  were  less  worthy  individually,  less  brave,  or  less  wise  as 
separate  persons  than  their  invaders,  but  because  they  were 
younger  and  greener  in  political  growth,  —  there  remained  in 
the  East  still  two  Slav  nations  (Poland  and  Russia)  ;  and  the 
opposition  of  these  forms  the  great  tragic  story  of  modern 
ages.  And  the  most  remarkable  concomitant  of  this  tragedy 
is,  that  the  cause  of  it  is  misunderstood  by  most  of  us.  It 
is  thought,  not  only  widely  but  well-nigh  universally,  in 
Western  Europe  and  America  that  the  first  cause  of  the 
downfall  of  Poland  was  Russia;  while  the  real  causes 
were  first  and  mightiest  the  peculiar  make-up  of  Polish 
society,  coupled  with  the  unceasing  activity  of  Germans 
in  conquering  and  subjecting  everything  east  of  them  by 
all  the  weapons  that  can  be  used  either  in  peace  or  in 
war. 

If  Russia  and  Poland  had  both  received  Christianity  from 
the  same  source,  there  would  have  been  strong  reasons  for 
them  to  grow  into  one  political  body ;  and  they  might  have 
been  able  to  do  so.  If  both  had  received  Christianity  from 
the  East,  as  Russia  did,  they  might  have  stood  shoulder  to 
shoulder  in  brotherly  defence  against  the  Germanic  West. 
If  both  had  received  Christianity  directly  from  the  West, 
they  might  have  prevented  the  Germans  from  crusading 
to  Christianize  the  East  at  the  expense  of  its  land  and 
independence. 

When  one  thinks  of  the  enthusiastic  and  kindly  labor  of 
the  Irish  missionaries  in  the  West,  and  of  Cyril  and  Metho- 
dius among  the  Slavs,  it  seems  hard  to  believe  that  the 
Irish  and  Greeks  had  the  same  Master  in  mind  as  the  iron- 


Introduction.  xxiii 


clad  monks  on  the  Baltic.  And  they  had  not ;  for  the  Ger- 
mans took  the  lands  and  persons  of  the  converts,  while  the 
Irish  and  the  Slav  missionaries  had  no  thought  for  themselves. 

Poland  fell,  and  Russia  remains  the  one  Slav  State  really 
independent ;  and  Russia  remains  because,  as  I  have  just 
stated,  the  Russian  people  have  in  all  centuries  listened  to 
and  understood  the  key-note  of  their  position,  —  which  is  : 
No  foreign  influence  shall  exist  in  Russia  under  any  form 
whatever.  To  maintain  this  position  the  Russians  have  sac- 
rificed more  than  any  people  in  Europe;  and  in  many 
senses  they  have  accomplished  more. 

The  corollary  to  the  above  sentence,  and  which  with  it 
completes  the  abstract  statement  of  Russia's  whole  policy, 
is :  The  West  of  Europe  shall  not  dominate  the  East. 

To  the  Russian  people  belong  the  myth-tales  in  the  first 
division  of  this  volume.  I  had  hoped  to  include  specimens 
from  Little  and  White  Russia,  —  that  is,  from  those  parts 
of  Russia  that  were  once  under  the  dominion  of  Poland ; 
but  lack  of  space  has  confined  me  to  tales  from  Great 
Russia,  —  that  portion  of  the  Empire  which  first  formed 
around  Moscow. 

The  Chekhs  of  Bohemia  are  Slavs  more  nearly  related  in 
speech  to  the  Poles  than  to  the  Russians.  Twice  have  the 
Chekhs  been  very  prominent  in  history,  —  once  in  the  wars 
which  followed  the  death  of  John  Huss ;  and  again  during 
the  Thirty  Years'  War,  in  which  they  suffered  beyond  any 
other  people.  Reduced  from  three  million  to  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  in  number,  they  were  supposed  to  be  extin- 
guished as  Slavs ;  but  in  spite  of  all  emigration  they  have 
regained  more  than  their  old  numbers,  and  are  to-day  if 
possible  more  determined  than  ever  to  preserve  their  his- 
torical identity.  Take  them  all  in  all,  there  is  not  a  people 
of  more  marked  character,  nor  one  whose  history  has 


xxiv  Introduction. 


greater  claims  on  the  student.  In  fact,  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries  cannot  be  studied  at  all,  in  any  true 
sense,  without  faithful  attention  to  the  Chekhs.  To  them 
belong  our  second  group  of  tales. 

The  tales  of  the  third  group  belong  to  the  Magyars  (the 
ruling  race  of  Hungary),  who  exert  more  influence  than 
any  people  of  four  times  their  numbers  in  Europe.  Though 
forming  not  more,  or  in  any  case  little  more,  than  one  third 
of  the  population  of  Hungary,  —  say  five  and  a  half  to  six 
millions,  —  they  rule  the  other  peoples  of  the  kingdom,  and 
possess  preponderant  power  in  the  Empire  of  Austria- 
Hungary.  They  have  directed  its  foreign  policy  for  the  last 
twenty  years,  —  a  fact  of  great  significance.  For  though 
foreign  affairs  have  at  all  times  been  more  important  for 
Austria  than  perhaps  any  State  in  Europe,  they  have  never 
been  more  important  than  at  present;  and  still  they  are 
intrusted  to  the  Magyars,  —  a  race  forming  little  more  than 
one  sixth  of  the  people  of  the  Empire.  The  reason  is  not 
far  to  seek. 

The  Magyars,  a  non-Aryan  people  from  the  Ural-Altai 
regions,  arrived  in  the  places  they  now  occupy  about  one 
thousand  years  ago,  at  the  period  of  a  desperate  struggle 
between  the  Germans  and  the  Slav  kingdom  of  Great  Mora- 
via, —  a  struggle  as  envenomed  as  that  between  Carthage 
and  Rome,  but  in  which  the  Slavs  seemed  to  be  holding 
their  own  very  well.  At  this  juncture  the  Magyars  struck 
Great  Moravia  in  the  rear  with  all  their  force,  secured  vic- 
tory for  the  Germans,  and  inserted  themselves  as  a  dividing 
wedge  between  the  Southern  and  the  Northern  Slavs. 

The  fall  of  Great  Moravia  closed  the  way  to  the  political 
independence  of  the  Western  Slavs ;  after  them,  there  re- 
mained in  the  whole  Slav  world  but  the  Poles  and  the 
Russians  with  the  possibility  of  political  power. 


Introduction.  xxv 


There  are  no  people  so  well  qualified  by  their  history  and 
hopes  to  carry  out  the  policy  of  Austria,  and  stand  against 
Russia,  as  the  Magyars.  Politicians  by  genius  and  training, 
lords  of  the  land  by  position,  their  whole  existence  depends 
on  managing  and  balancing  various  forces.  Having  no  per- 
sonal sympathy  for  the  Germans,  looking  down  on  the  Slavs, 
they  are  a  bitter  necessity  to  the  first,  and  they  divide, 
rule,  and  dominate  the  second  within  the  kingdom  ;  outside 
the  kingdom  it  is  their  policy  not  to  permit  the  Slavs  to 
develop,  unless  as  satellites  of  Austria- Hungary. 

I  regret  my  inability  to  include  Polish  myth-tales  in  this 
collection,  owing  to  want  of  space.  Should  the  present 
volume  meet  with  favor,  it  will  be  followed  during  the 
coming  year  by  another,  in  which  a  good  deal  of  attention 
will  be  given  the  Poles,  —  a  most  interesting  and,  in  very 
truth,  a  little  known  people. 

JEREMIAH   CURTIN. 


SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION,  BUREAU  OF  ETHNOLOGY. 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  October  29,  1890. 


RUSSIAN  MYTHS  AND  FOLK- TALES. 


RUSSIAN  MYTHS  AND  FOLK-TALES 


THE   THREE    KINGDOMS,  —  THE    COPPER,  THE 
SILVER,   AND   THE   GOLDEN. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom  in  a  certain  land  lived  a 
Tsar, — Bail  Bailyanyin.  He  had  a  wife,  Nas- 
tasya,  Golden  Tress,  and  three  sons,  —  Pyotr  Tsare- 
vich,  Vassili  Tsarevich,  and  Ivan  Tsarevich.  The 
Tsaritsa  went  with  her  maidens  and  nurses  to  walk 
in  the  garden.  All  at  once  such  a  mighty  Whirlwind 
rose  that,  God  save  us!  it  caught  the  Tsaritsa  and 
bore  her  it  was  unknown  whither. 

The  Tsar  was  grieved  and  distressed,  and  knew 
not  what  to  do.  His  sons  grew  up,  and  he  said 
to  them :  "  My  dear  children,  which  of  you  will  go 
to  seek  your  mother?" 

The  two  elder  brothers  made  ready  and  went. 
After  they  had  gone,  the  youngest  begged  permis- 
sion of  his  father.  "  No,"  said  the  Tsar,  "  go  not,  my 
dear  son ;  do  not  leave  me  an  old  man  in  loneliness." 

"  Let  me  go,  father ;  I  want  awfully  to  wander 
over  the  white  world  and  find  my  mother." 

i 


2  Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  Tsar  dissuaded  and  dissuaded,  but  could 
not  convince  him.  "  Well,  there  is  no  help  for  it, 
go ;  God  be  with  thee  !  " 

Ivan  saddled  his  good  steed  and  set  out.  He 
rode  and  rode,  whether  it  was  long  or  short :  a  tale 
is  soon  told,  but  a  deed  is  not  soon  done ;  he  came 
to  a  forest.  In  that  forest  was  the  richest  of  castles. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  entered  a  broad  court,  saw  an  old 
man,  and  said,  "  Many  years'  health  to  thee !  " 

"We  beg  the  favor  of  thy  presence.  Who  art 
thou,  gallant  youth?" 

"  I  am  Ivan  Tsarevich,  the  son  of  Tsar  Bail  Baily- 
anyin  and  of  Tsaritsa  Nastasya,  Golden  Tress." 

"  Oh,  my  own  nephew !  Whither  is  God  bearing 
thee?" 

"  For  this  cause  and  that,"  said  he,  "  I  am  in 
search  of  my  mother.  Canst  thou  not  tell  me,  uncle, 
where  to  find  her?  " 

"  No,  nephew,  I  cannot ;  with  what  I  am  able, 
with  that  I  do  service.  But  here  is  a  ball ;  throw  it 
ahead,  it  will  roll  on  before  thee  and  lead  thee  to 
steep,  rugged  mountains.  In  those  mountains  is  a 
cave,  enter  it;  take  there  iron  claws,  put  them  on 
thy  hands  and  thy  feet,  and  climb  up  the  moun- 
tains. Perhaps  thou  wilt  find  there  thy  mother, 
Nastasya,  Golden  Tress." 

That  was  good  aid.  Ivan  Tsarevich  took  leave  of 
his  uncle,  and  threw  the  ball  before  him ;  the  ball 
rolled  and  rolled  on,  he  rode  behind  it.  Whether  it 


The  Three  Kingdoms. 


was  long  or  short,  he  saw  his  brothers,  Pyotr  Tsare- 
vich  and  Vassili  Tsarevich.  They  were  encamped  in 
the  open  field  with  thousands  of  troops.  His  broth- 
ers were  surprised,  and  asked,  "  Where  art  thou 
going,  Ivan  Tsarevich?" 

"  Oh !  "  said  he,  "  I  grew  weary  at  home,  and  I 
thought  of  going  to  look  for  my  mother.  Send  your 
army  home,  and  let  us  go  on  together." 

They  sent  home  the  army,  and  the  three  went 
on  together  after  the  ball.  While  yet  at  a  distance 
they  saw  the  mountains,  —  such  steep  and  lofty 
mountains  that,  God  save  us  !  they  touched  the 
heavens  with  their  heads.  The  ball  rolled  straight 
to  a  cave.  Ivan  Tsarevich  slipped  down  from  his 
horse  and  said  to  his  brothers,  "  Here,  brothers,  is 
my  good  steed ;  I  will  go  up  on  the  mountains  to 
look  for  my  mother,  and  ye  remain  here.  Wait  for 
me  just  three  months.  If  I  am  not  here  in  three 
months,  there  will  be  no  use  in  waiting  longer." 

The  brothers  thought,  but  how  could  a  man 
climb  these  mountains?  He  would  break  his  head 
there. 

"Well,"  said  they,  "go,  with  God;  we  will  wait 
for  thee  here." 

Ivan  approached  the  cave ;  he  saw  that  the  door 
was  of  iron.  He  struck  it  with  all  his  strength.  It 
opened,  he  entered ;  iron  claws  went  on  to  his  feet 
and  hands  of  themselves.  He  began  to  climb  the 
mountains,  —  climb,  climb;  he  toiled  a  whole  month, 


4  Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

reaching  the  top  with  difficulty.  "  Well,"  said  he, 
"  glory  be  to  God  !  "  He  rested  a  little,  and  walked 
along  on  the  mountain ;  walked  and  walked,  walked 
and  walked,  saw  a  copper  castle,  at  the  gate  terri- 
ble serpents  fastened  with  copper  chains,  crowds  of 
them ;  and  right  there  was  a  well,  and  at  the  well  a 
copper  bucket  hung  by  a  copper  chain.  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich  drew  water  and  gave  the  serpents  to  drink. 
They  became  quiet,  lay  down,  and  he  passed  into 
the  court. 

The  Tsaritsa  of  the  Copper  Kingdom  ran  out  to 
meet  him.  "Who  art  thou,  gallant  youth?" 

"  I  am  Ivan  Tsarevich." 

"  Well,  hast  thou  come  of  thy  own  will,  or  against 
thy  will?" 

"  Of  my  own  will ;  I  am  in  search  of  my  mother, 
Nastasya,  Golden  Tress.  A  certain  Whirlwind  bore 
her  away  out  of  the  garden.  Dost  thou  know  where 
she  is?" 

"No;  but  not  far  from  here  lives  my  second 
sister,  the  Tsaritsa  of  the  Silver  kingdom,  —  maybe 
she  will  tell  thee." 

She  gave  him  a  copper  ball  and  a  copper  ring. 
"The  baH,"  said  she,  "will  lead  thee  to  my  second 
sister,  and  in  this  ring  is  the  whole  Copper  Kingdom. 
When  thou  overcomest  Whirlwind,  who  keeps  me 
here  and  flies  to  me  once  in  three  months,  forget  me 
not,  poor  woman,  rescue  me  from  this  place,  and 
take  me  with  thee  to  the  free  world." 


The  Three  Kingdoms. 


"  I  will,"  said  Ivan  Tsarevich.  He  threw  the  cop- 
per ball  before  him;  the  ball  rolled  ahead,  and  he 
followed  after.  He  came  to  the  Silver  Kingdom  and 
saw  a  castle  finer  than  the  first,  all  silver ;  at  the  gate 
were  terrible  serpents  fastened  to  silver  chains,  and 
at  the  side  of  them  was  a  well  with  a  silver  bucket. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  drew  water  and  gave  the  serpents  to 
drink.  They  lay  down  then,  and  let  him  enter  the 
castle.  The  Tsaritsa  of  the  Silver  Kingdom  came 
out. 

"  It  will  soon  be  three  years,"  said  she,  "  since 
mighty  Whirlwind  confined  me  here,  and  no  Russian 
have  I  heard  with  hearing,  or  seen  with  sight;  but 
now  a  Russian  I  see.  Who  art  thou,  good  youth?  " 

"  I  am  Ivan  Tsarevich." 

"  How  didst  thou  happen  hither,  —  with  thy  own 
will,  or  against  thy  will?  " 

"With  my  own  will ;  I  am  in  search  of  my  mother. 
She  went  in  the  green  garden  to  walk,  Whirlwind 
came  and  bore  her  away,  it  is  unknown  whither. 
Canst  thou  not  tell  me  where  to  find  her?  " 

"  No,  I  cannot;  but  not  far  from  here  lives  my  eld- 
est sister,  the  Tsaritsa  of  the  Golden  Kingdom,  Yelena 
the  Beautiful,  —  maybe  she  will  tell  thee.  Here  is 
a  silver  ball,  roll  it  ahead  and  follow;  it  will  lead 
thee  to  the  Golden  Kingdom.  But  see,  when  thou 
hast  killed  W7hirl\vind,  forget  me  not,  poor  woman ; 
rescue  me  from  this  place,  and  take  me  to  the  free 
world.  Whirlwind  holds  me  captive,  and  flies  hither 


6  Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Taks. 

once  in  two  months."  Then  she  gave  him  a  silver 
ring,  saying,  "  In  this  ring  is  the  whole  Silver 
Kingdom." 

Ivan  rolled  the  ball ;  wherever  it  went  he  followed. 
Whether  it  was  long  or  short,  he  saw  a  golden  castle 
gleaming  like  fire ;  at  the  gate  was  a  crowd  of  ter- 
rible serpents  fastened  to  golden  chains,  and  right 
there  a  well,  at  the  well  a  golden  bucket  on  a  golden 
chain.  Ivan  Tsarevich  drew  water,  and  gave  the  ser- 
pents to  drink ;  they  lay  down  and  were  soothed.  He 
entered  the  palace;  Yelena  the  Beautiful  met  him. 

"  Who  art  thou,  gallant  youth?  " 

"  I  am  Ivan  Tsarevich." 

"  How  hast  thou  come  hither,  —  of  thy  own  will,  or 
against  thy  will  ?  " 

"  I  came  of  my  own  will;  I  am  in  search  of  my 
mother,  Nastasya,  Golden  Tress.  Knowest  thou  not 
where  to  find  her?" 

"  Why  should  n't  I  know?  She  lives  not  far  from 
here,  Whirlwind  flies  to  her  once  a  week,  and  to 
me  once  a  month.  Here  is  a  golden  ball  for  thee : 
throw  it  ahead  and  follow,  —  it  will  lead  thee  to  thy 
mother.  And  take  besides  this  golden  ring;  in  this 
ring  is  the  whole  Golden  Kingdom.  And  be  careful 
when  thou  hast  conquered  Whirlwind.  Forget  me  not, 
poor  woman ;  take  me  with  thee  to  the  free  world." 

"  I  will  take  thee,"  said  he. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  rolled  the  ball  and  followed  after; 
he  went  and  went  till  he  came  to  such  a  palace  that, 


The  Three  Kingdoms. 


Lord  save  us  !  it  was  just  blazing  with  diamonds  and 
precious  stones.  At  the  gate  six-headed  serpents 
were  hissing.  Ivan  Tsarevich  gave  them  to  drink; 
the  serpents  were  soothed,  and  let  him  pass  to  the 
castle.  He  went  through  the  great  chambers,  and 
in  the  most  distant  found  his  own  mother.  She  was 
sitting  on  a  lofty  throne  arrayed  in  Tsaritsa's  robes 
and  crowned  with  a  costly  crown.  She  looked  at 
the  stranger  and  cried  :  "  Ah  !  is  that  thou,  my  dear 
son?  How  hast  thou  come  hither?  " 

"  So  and  so,"  said  Ivan ;   "  I  have  come  for  thee." 

"  Well,  dear  son,  't  will  be  hard  for  thee.  Here 
in  these  mountains  reigns  Whirlwind,  the  evil  and 
mighty,  all  spirits  obey  him ;  he  is  the  one  that 
bore  me  away.  Thou  wilt  have  to  fight  him ;  come 
quickly  to  the  cellar." 

They  went  to  the  cellar;  there  were  two  tubs  of 
water,  one  on  the  right,  the  other  on  the  left  hand. 
"  Drink,"  said  the  Tsaritsa,  "  from  the  right-hand 
tub." 

Ivan  drank. 

"  Well,  what  strength  is  in  thee?  " 

"  I  am  so  strong  that  I  could  turn  the  whole  cas- 
tle over  with  one  hand." 

"  Then  drink  more." 

Ivan  drank  again. 

"  What  strength  is  in  thee  now?  " 

"  If  I  wished,  I  could  turn  the  whole  world  over." 

"That  is  very  great  strength.     Move  these  tubs 


8  Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

from  one  place  to  the  other :  put  that  on  the  right 
to  the  left,  that  on  the  left  take  to  the  right." 

Ivan  interchanged  the  tubs. 

"  Thou  seest,  my  dear  son,  in  one  tub  is  water  of 
strength,  in  the  other  water  of  weakness.  Whoso 
drinks  from  the  first  will  be  a  strong,  mighty  hero ; 
whoso  drinks  from  the  second  will  grow  weak  al- 
together. Whirlwind  always  drinks  the  water  of 
strength  and  puts  it  on  the  right  side;  so  we 
must  deceive  him,  or  thou  canst  never  overcome 
him." 

They  returned  to  the  castle. 

"  Soon  Whirlwind  will  fly  home,"  said  the  Tsaritsa 
to  Ivan  Tsarevich.  "  Sit  under  my  purple  robe,  so 
that  he  may  not  see  thee ;  and  when  he  comes  and 
runs  to  embrace  and  kiss  me,  do  thou  seize  his  club. 
He  will  rise  high,  high ;  he  will  bear  thee  over  seas, 
over  precipices :  but  see  to  it,  let  not  the  club  go  out 
of  thy  hand.  Whirlwind  will  grow  tired,  will  want 
to  drink  the  water  of  strength,  will  come  down  to  the 
cellar  and  rush  to  the  tub  placed  on  the  right  hand ; 
but  do  thou  drink  from  the  tub  on  the  left.  Then  he 
will  grow  weak ;  wrest  his  sword  from  him,  and  with 
one  blow  hew  off  his  head.  When  his  head  is  off, 
that  moment  there  will  be  voices  behind  thee  crying, 
'  Strike  again,  strike  again/  Strike  not,  my  son,  but 
say  in  answer,  'A  hero's  hand  strikes  not  twice,  but 
always  once.'  " 

Ivan  Tsarevich  had  barely  hidden  under  the  robe 


The  Three  Kingdoms. 


when  the  court  grew  dark  and  everything  trembled. 
Whirlwind  flew  home,  struck  the  earth,  became  a 
brave  hero,  and  entered  the  castle,  in  his  hands  a 
club. 

"  Tfu,  tfu,  tfu  !  somehow  it  smells  of  Russia  here. 
Was  any  one  visiting?" 

"  I  don't  know  why  it  seems  so  to  thee,"  said  the 
Tsaritsa. 

Whirlwind  rushed  to  embrace  her;  but  Ivan  that 
moment  seized  the  club. 

"  I  '11  eat  thee  !  "  shouted  Whirlwind. 

"  Well,  grandmother  spoke  double ;  either  thou 
wilt  eat,  or  thou  wilt  not." 

Whirlwind  tore  out  through  the  window  and  up  to 
the  sky;  he  bore  Ivan  Tsarevich  away.  Over  moun- 
tains he  said,  "  I  will  smash  thee ;  "  over  seas  he  said, 
"I  will  drown  thee."  But  Ivan  did  not  let  the  club  out 
of  his  hands.  Whirlwind  flew  over  the  whole  world, 
wearied  himself  out,  and  began  to  sink.  He  came 
down  straight  into  the  cellar,  rushed  to  the  tub  on 
the  right  hand,  and  fell  to  drinking  the  water  of 
weakness ;  but  Ivan  ran  to  the  left,  drank  his  fill  of 
the  water  of  strength,  and  became  the  first  mighty 
hero  in  the  whole  world.  He  saw  that  Whirlwind 
had  become  utterly  weak,  wrested  the  sharp  sword 
from  him,  and  cut  off  his  head  with  a  blow.  Voices 
cried  behind,  "  Strike  again,  strike  again,  or  he  will 
come  to  life!"  "No,"  said  Ivan;  "a  hero's  hand 
strikes  not  twice,  but  always  finishes  at  a  blow." 


io         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Straightway  he  made  a  fire,  burned  the  body  and 
the  head,  scattered  the  ashes  to  the  wind. 

The  mother  of  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  glad.  "  Now, 
my  dear  son,"  said  she,  "  let  us  rejoice.  We  will  eat; 
and  then  for  home  with  all  speed,  for  it  is  wearisome 
here,  —  there  are  no  people." 

"  But  who  serves  thee?  " 

"  Thou  wilt  see  directly." 

They  had  barely  thought  of  eating,  when  a  table 
set  itself,  and  various  meats  and  wines  appeared  on 
the  table  of  themselves.  The  Tsaritsa  and  the  Tsare- 
vich dined.  Meanwhile  unseen  musicians  played 
wonderful  songs  for  them.  They  ate  and  drank,  and 
when  they  had  rested,  Ivan  said,  — 

"  Let  us  go,  mother,  it  is  time ;  for  under  the 
mountains  my  brothers  are  waiting.  And  on  the 
road  I  must  save  three  Tsaritsas  who  are  living  in 
Whirlwind's  castles." 

They  took  everything  needful  and  set  out  on  the 
journey.  They  went  first  to  the  Tsaritsa  of  the 
Golden  Kingdom,  then  to  her  sisters  of  the  Silver 
and  Copper  Kingdoms.  They  took  them,  and 
brought  linen  and  all  kinds  of  stuffs.  In  a  short 
time  they  reached  the  place  where  they  had  to  go 
down  the  mountain. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  let  his  mother  down  first  on  the 
linen,  then  Yelena  the  Beautiful  and  her  two  sisters. 
The  brothers  were  standing  below  waiting,  and  they 
thought  to  themselves,  "  Let  us  leave  Ivan  Tsarevich 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  n 

up  there;  we  will  take  our  mother  and  the  three 
Tsaritsas  to  our  father,  and  say  that  we  found  them." 
"  I  '11  take  Yelena  the  Beautiful  for  myself,"  said 
Pyotr  Tsarevich  ;  "  thou,  Vassili,  wilt  have  the 
Tsaritsa  of  the  Silver  Kingdom ;  and  we  will 
give  the  Tsaritsa  of  the  Copper  Kingdom  to  some 
general." 

When  it  was  time  for  Ivan  Tsarevich  to  come 
down  from  the  mountain,  his  elder  brothers  seized 
the  linen,  pulled  and  tore  it  away.  Ivan  remained 
on  the  mountain.  What  could  he  do?  He  wept 
bitterly;  then  turned  back,  walked  and  walked  over 
the  Copper  Kingdom,  over  the  Silver  Kingdom  and 
the  Golden  Kingdom,  —  not  a  soul  did  he  see.  He 
came  to  the  Diamond  Kingdom,  —  no  one  there 
either.  What  was  he  to  do  alone,  —  deathly  weari- 
ness !  He  looked  around ;  on  the  window  of  the 
castle  a  whistle  was  lying.  He  took  it  in  his  hand. 
"  Let  me  play  from  weariness,"  said  he.  He  had 
barely  blown  when  out  sprang  Lame  and  Crooked. 

"  What  is  thy  pleasure?  " 

Said  Ivan  Tsarevich,  "  I  want  to  eat."  That  mo- 
ment, from  wherever  it  came,  a  table  was  set,  and 
on  the  table  the  very  best  food.  Ivan  Tsarevich  ate 
and  thought,  "  Now  it  would  not  be  bad  to  rest." 
He  blew  on  the  whistle.  Lame  and  Crooked 
appeared. 

"  What  is  thy  pleasure,  Ivan  Tsarevich?  " 

"  That  a  bed  be  ready."     The  word  was  n't  out  of 


12         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

his  mouth  when  the  bed  was  ready.  He  lay  down, 
slept  splendidly,  then  whistled  again. 

"  What  is  thy  pleasure?  "  asked  Lame  and  Crooked. 

"  Everything  can  be  done,  then  ?  " 

"  Everything  is  possible,  Ivan  Tsarevich.  Who- 
ever blows  that  whistle,  we  will  do  everything  for 
him.  As  we  served  Whirlwind  before,  so  we  are 
glad  to  serve  thee  now ;  it  is  only  necessary  to  keep 
the  whistle  by  thee  at  all  times." 

"  Well,"  said  Ivan,  "  let  me  be  in  my  own  kingdom 
this  minute." 

He  had  barely  spoken  when  he  appeared  in  his 
own  kingdom,  in  the  middle  of  the  market  square. 
He  was  walking  along  the  square,  when  a  shoemaker 
came  toward  him,  —  such  a  jolly  fellow !  The  Tsare- 
vich asked:  "  Whither  art  thou  going,  good  man?" 

"  I  am  taking  shoes  to  sell ;   I  am  a  shoemaker." 

"  Take  me  into  thy  service,"  said  Ivan. 

"  Dost  thou  know  how  to  make  shoes?  " 

"  Yes,  I  can  do  everything.  I  can  make  not  only 
shoes,  but  clothes." 

"  Well,  come  on." 

They  went  to  his  house.  The  shoemaker  said: 
"  Go  to  work ;  here  is  leather  for  thee,  —  the  best 
kind;  I  '11  see  what  skill  thou  hast." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  to  his  own  room,  and  took  out 
the  whistle.  Lame  and  Crooked  came.  "  What  is 
thy  pleasure,  Ivan  Tsarevich?" 

"  To  have  shoes  ready  by  to-morrow." 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  13 

"  Oh,  that  is  not  work,  that  is  play !  " 

"  Here  is  the  leather." 

"  What  sort  of  leather  is  that?  That 's  trash,  noth- 
ing more ;  that  should  go  out  of  the  window." 

Next  morning  Ivan  Tsarevich  woke  up;  on  the 
table  were  beautiful  shoes,  the  very  best. 

The  shoemaker  rose.  "  Well,  young  man,  hast  thou 
made  the  shoes?" 

"  They  are  finished." 

"  Well,  show  them."  He  looked  at  the  shoes  and 
was  astonished.  "  See  what  a  man  I  have  got  for  my- 
self, —  not  a  shoemaker,  but  a  wonder !  "  He  took 
the  shoes  and  carried  them  to  the  market  to  sell. 

At  that  same  time  three  weddings  were  in  prepara- 
tion at  the  palace.  Pyotr  Tsarevich  was  to  marry 
Yelena  the  Beautiful,  Vassili  Tsarevich  the  Tsaritsa 
of  the  Silver  Kingdom,  and  they  were  giving  the 
Tsaritsa  of  the  Copper  Kingdom  to  a  general.  They 
were  making  dresses  for  those  weddings.  Yelena 
the  Beautiful  wanted  shoes.  Our  shoemaker's  shoes 
were  better  than  all  the  others  brought  to  the 
palace. 

When  Yelena  looked  at  them  she  said,  "  What 
does  this  mean?  They  make  shoes  like  these  only 
in  the  mountains."  She  paid  the  shoemaker  a  large 
price  and  said,  "  Make  me  without  measure  another 
pair  wonderfully  sewed,  ornamented  with  precious 
stones,  and  studded  with  diamonds.  They  must  be 
ready  by  to-morrow;  if  not,  to  the  gallows  with  thee." 


1 4         Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

The  shoemaker  took  the  precious  stones  and  money 
and"  went  home,  —  such  a  gloomy  man  !  "  Misery," 
said  he,  "  what  am  I  to  do  now?  How  can  I  make 
shoes  by  to-morrow,  and  besides  without  measure? 
It  is  clear  that  they  will  hang  me  to-morrow;  let  me 
have  at  least  a  last  frolic  with  my  friends." 

He  went  to  the  inn.  These  friends  of  his  were 
numerous;  they  asked,  "Why  art  thou  so  gloomy, 
brother?" 

"  Oh,  my  dear  friends,"  answered  he,  "  they  are 
going  to  hang  me  to-morrow !  " 

"Why  so?" 

The  shoemaker  told  his  trouble.  "  How  think  of 
work  in  such  a  position?  Better  I  '11  frolic  to-night 
for  the  last  time." 

So  they  drank  and  drank,  frolicked  and  frolicked ; 
the  shoemaker  was  staggering  already. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  '11  take  home  a  keg  of  spirits, 
lie  down  to  sleep ;  and  to-morrow  when  they  come 
to  hang  me,  I  '11  drink  a  gallon  and  a  half  right  away. 
Let  them  hang  me  without  my  senses." 

He  came  home.  "  Well,  thou  reprobate !  "  said 
he  to  Ivan  Tsarevich,  "  see  what  thy  shoes  have  done 
...  so  and  so.  ...  When  they  come  in  the  morn- 
ing for  me,  wake  me  up." 

In  the  night  Ivan  Tsarevich  took  out  the  whistle 
and  blew.  Lame  and  Crooked  appeared.  "  What  is 
thy  pleasure,  Ivan  Tsarevich?" 

"  That  shoes  of  such  a  kind  be  ready." 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  15 

"  We  obey !  " 

Ivan  lay  down  to  sleep.  Next  morning  he  woke 
up;  the  shoes  were  on  the  table  shining  like  fire. 
He  went  to  rouse  his  master. 

"  It  is  time  to  rise,  master." 

"What!  have  they  come  for  me?  Bring  the  keg 
quickly !  Here  is  a  cup,  pour  the  spirits  in ;  let  them 
hang  me  drunk." 

"  But  the  shoes  are  made." 

"  How  made?     Where  are  they?  " 

The  master  ran  and  saw  them.  "  But  when  did  we 
make  them  ?  " 

"  In  the  night.  Is  it  possible  that  thou  dost  not 
remember  when  we  cut  and  sewed  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  Ve  slept  so  long,  brother !  I  barely,  barely 
remember." 

He  took  the  shoes,  wrapped  them  up,  and  ran  to 
the  palace. 

Yelena  the  Beautiful  saw  the  shoes  and  knew  what 
had  happened.  "  Surely,"  she  thought,  "  the  spirits 
made  these  for  Ivan  Tsarevich.  —  How  didst  thou 
make  these?  "  asked  she  of  the  shoemaker. 

"  Oh  !  I  know  how  to  do  everything." 

"  If  that  is  the  case,  make  me  a  wedding  robe  em- 
broidered with  gold,  ornamented  with  diamonds  and 
precious  stones ;  let  it  be  ready  to-morrow  morning : 
if  not,  off  with  thy  head  ?  " 

The  shoemaker  went  home  again  gloomy,  xand  his 
friends  were  long  waiting  for  him.  "  Well,  what  is  it  ?  " 


1 6         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Nothing  but  cursedness.  The  destroyer  of  Chris- 
tian people  has  come ;  she  commanded  me  to  make 
her  a  robe  with  gold  and  precious  stones  by  to-mor- 
row morning :  and  what  sort  of  a  tailor  am  I  ?  They 
will  take  my  head  surely  to-morrow." 

"  Ah  !  brother,  the  morning  is  wiser  than  the  even- 
ing ;  let  us  go  and  frolic." 

They  went  to  the  inn,  they  drank  and  frolicked; 
the  shoemaker  got  tipsy  again,  brought  home  a  whole 
keg  of  spirits,  and  said  to  Ivan  Tsarevich :  "  Now, 
young  fellow,  when  thou  wilt  rouse  me  in  the  morn- 
ing I  '11  toss  off  three  gallons ;  let  them  cut  the  head 
off  me  drunk.  I  could  n't  make  such  a  robe  in  a  life- 
time." The  shoemaker  lay  down  to  sleep  and  snored. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  blew  on  the  whistle,  and  Lame 
and  Crooked  appeared.  "  What  is  thy  pleasure, 
Tsarevich?" 

"  That  a  robe  be  ready  by  to-morrow  morning 
exactly  such  as  Yelena  the  Beautiful  wore  in  Whirl- 
wind's house." 

"  We  obey ;   it  will  be  ready." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  woke  at  daylight ;  the  robe  was  on 
the  table,  shining  like  fire,  so  that  the  whole  chamber 
was  lighted  up.  Then  he  roused  his  master,  who 
rubbed  his  eyes  and  asked,  "  What !  have  they  come 
to  cut  my  head  off?  Give  the  spirits  here  this 
minute." 

"  But  the  robe  is  ready." 

"  Is  that  true  ?     When  did  we  make  it?  " 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  17 

"  In  the  night,  of  course ;  dost  thou  not  remember 
cutting  it  thyself?  " 

"  Ah,  brother,  I  just  remember,  —  see  it  as  in  a 
dream !  " 

The  shoemaker  took  the  robe  and  ran  to  the  palace. 

Yelena  the  Beautiful  gave  him  much  money  and 
the  command,  "  See  that  to-morrow  by  daylight  the 
Golden  Kingdom  be  on  the  sea,  seven  versts  from 
shore,  and  from  it  to  our  palace  let  there  be  a  golden 
bridge  with  costly  velvet  spread  upon  it,  and  at  the 
railings  on  both  sides  let  wonderful  trees  be  growing, 
and  let  there  be  wonderful  song-birds  singing,  with 
various  voices.  If  thou  wilt  not  have  it  done  by 
morning,  I  '11  give  orders  to  quarter  thee." 

The  shoemaker  went  from  Yelena  the  Beautiful 
with  drooping  head.  His  friends  met  him.  "  Well, 
brother?" 

"What  well!  I  am  lost;  to-morrow  I  shall  be 
quartered.  She  gave  me  such  a  task  that  no  devil 
could  do  it." 

"  Oh,  never  mind !  the  morning  is  wiser  than  the 
evening;  let  us  go  to  the  inn." 

"  Well,  let  us  go ;  at  the  last  parting  we  must  have 
a  carousal  at  least." 

They  drank  and  drank ;  and  towards  evening  the 
shoemaker  drank  so  much  they  had  to  lead  him 
home.  "Farewell,  young  fellow,"  said  he  to  Ivan; 
"  to-rnorrow  they  will  put  me  to  death." 

"  But  has  a  new  task  been  given?  " 
2 


1 3          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Yes,  so  and  so,  so  and  so."  He  lay  down  and 
snored;  but  Ivan  Tsarevich  went  straight  to  his 
room,  and  blew  on  the  whistle.  Lame  and  Crooked 
appeared. 

"What  is  thy  pleasure,  Ivan  Tsarevich?" 

"  Can  ye  do  me  such  a  work  as  this?  " 

"  Ivan  Tsarevich,  this  is  a  work  indeed.  But  there 
is  no  avoiding  it ;  toward  morning  all  will  be  ready." 

When  daylight  began  to  come,  Ivan  woke  up, 
looked  out  of  the  window.  Fathers !  everything 
was  ready  as  asked  for.  A  golden  castle  was  gleam- 
ing like  fire.  He  roused  his  master,  who  sprang  up. 
"Well,  have  they  come  for  me?  Give  the  keg  here 
this  minute !  " 

"  But  the  palace  is  ready." 

"What  dost  thou  say?" 

The  shoemaker  looked  through  the  window  and 
said,  "  Ah  !  "  in  astonishment,  "  how  was  that  done?  " 

"Dost  thou  not  remember  how  thou  and  I 
fixed  it?" 

"Yes,  it  is  clear  that  I  have  slept  too  soundly; 
I  barely,  barely  remember." 

They  ran  to  the  golden  castle;  in  it  was  wealth 
untold,  unseen. 

Said  Ivan  Tsarevich :  "  Here,  master,  is  a  wing,  go 
and  dust  the  railing  of  the  bridge ;  and  if  they  come 
and  ask  who  lives  in  the  palace,  say  thou  nothing, 
but  give  this  letter." 

"  Very  well." 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  19 

The  shoemaker  went  to  dust  the  railing  of  the 
bridge. 

In  the  morning  Yelena  the  Beautiful  woke  up ;  she 
saw  the  golden  castle,  and  ran  straight  to  the  Tsar. 
"  See  what  is  done  in  our  place  !  There  is  a  golden 
palace  on  the  sea,  and  from  that  palace  a  golden 
bridge  seven  versts  long;  and  on  both  sides  of  the 
bridge  wonderful  trees  are  growing,  and  song-birds 
are  singing  in  various  voices." 

The  Tsar  sent  immediately  to  ask  what  that  meant? 
Had  not  some  hero  come  to  his  kingdom?  The  mes- 
sengers came  to  the  shoemaker,  asked  him.  "  I  know 
not,  but  there  is  a  letter  to  thy  Tsar."  In  that  letter 
Ivan  Tsarevich  related  everything  to  his  father  as  it 
was,  —  how  he  had  liberated  his  mother,  won  Yelena 
the  Beautiful,  and  how  his  elder  brothers  had  de- 
ceived him.  With  the  letter  Ivan  Tsarevich  sent 
golden  carriages,  and  begged  the  Tsar  and  Tsaritsa  to 
come  to  him.  Let  Yelena  the  Beautiful  and  her  sisters 
and  his  brothers  be  brought  behind  in  simple  wagons. 

All  assembled  at  once  and  started.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
met  them  with  joy.  The  Tsar  wished  to  put  his  elder 
sons  to  death  for  their  untruths ;  but  Ivan  Tsarevich 
implored  his  father,  and  they  were  forgiven.  Then 
began  a  mountain  of  a  feast.  .  Ivan  Tsarevich  mar- 
ried Yelena  the  Beautiful.  They  gave  the  Tsaritsa 
of  the  Silver  Kingdom  to  Pyotr  Tsarevich,  the  Tsa- 
ritsa of  the  Copper  Kingdom  to  Vassili  Tsarevich, 
and  made  the  shoemaker  a  general. 


IVAN  TSAREVICH,  THE    FIRE-BIRD,  AND    THE 
GRAY  WOLF. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom,  in  a  certain  land,  lived  Tsar 
Vwislav  Andronovich ;  he  had  three  sons,  — 
Dmitri  Tsarevich,  Vassili  Tsarevich,  and  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich.  Tsar  Vwislav  had  a  garden  so  rich  that  in  no 
land  was  there  better.  In  the  garden  grew  many 
precious  trees,  with  fruit  and  without  fruit. 

Tsar  Vwislav  had  one  favorite  apple-tree,  and  on 
that  tree  grew  apples  all  golden.  The  Fire-bird  used 
to  fly  to  the  garden  of  Tsar  Vwislav.  She  had  wings 
of  gold,  and  eyes  like  crystals  of  the  East ;  and  she 
used  to  fly  to  that  garden  every  night,  sit  on  the 
favorite  apple-tree,  pluck  from  it  golden  apples,  and 
then  fly  away. 

The  Tsar  grieved  greatly  over  that  apple-tree  be- 
cause the  Fire-bird  plucked  from  it  many  apples. 
Therefore  he  called  his  three  sons  and  said :  "  My 
dear  children,  whichever  one  of  you  can  catch  the 
Fire-bird  in  my  garden  and  take  her  alive,  to  him 
will  I  give  during  my  life  one  half  of  the  kingdom, 
and  at  my  death  I  will  give  it  all." 

Then  the  sons  cried  out  in  one  voice :  "  Gracious 
sovereign,  our  father,  we  will  try  with  great  pleasure 
to  take  the  Fire-bird  alive." 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the  Wolf.  21 

The  first  night  Dmitri  Tsarevich  went  to  watch  in 
the  garden,  and  sat  under  the  apple-tree  from  which 
the  Fire-bird  had  been  plucking  the  apples.  He 
fell  asleep,  and  did  not  hear  the  Fire-bird  when  she 
came,  nor  when  she  plucked  many  apples. 

Next  morning  Tsar  Vwislav  called  his  son  Dmitri 
Tsarevich,  and  asked,  "  Well,  my  dear  son,  hast 
thou  seen  the  Fire-bird?" 

"  No,  gracious  sovereign,  my  father,  she  came  not 
last  night." 

The  next  night  Vassili  Tsarevich  went  to  the  gar- 
den to  watch  the  Fire-bird.  He  sat  under  the  same 
apple-tree,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours  fell  asleep  so 
soundly  that  he  did  not  hear  the  Fire-bird  when  she 
came  nor  when  she  plucked  apples. 

Next  morning  Tsar  Vwislav  called  him  and  asked, 
"  Well,  my  dear  son,  hast  thou  seen  the  Fire-bird?  " 

"  Gracious  sovereign,  my  father,  she  came  not  last 
night." 

The  third  night  Ivan  Tsarevich  went  to  watch  in 
the  garden,  and  sat  under  the  same  apple-tree.  He 
sat  an  hour,  a  second,  and  a  third.  All  at  once  the 
whole  garden  was  lighted  up  as  if  by  many  fires. 
The  Fire-bird  flew  hither,  perched  on  the  apple-tree, 
and  began  to  pluck  apples.  Ivan  stole  up  to  her  so 
warily  that  he  caught  her  tail,  but  could  not  hold  the 
bird,  she  tore  off,  flew  away;  and  there  remained 
in  the  hand  of  Ivan  Tsarevich  but  one  feather  of  the 
tail,  which  he  held  very  firmly. 


2  2         Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

Next  morning,  the  moment  Tsar  Vwislav  woke 
from  his  sleep,  Ivan  Tsarevich  went  to  him  and  gave 
him  the  feather  of  the  Fire-bird.  The  Tsar  was 
greatly  delighted  that  his  youngest  son  had  been 
able  to  get  even  one  feather  of  the  Fire-bird.  This 
feather  was  so  wonderful  and  bright  that  when  car- 
ried into  a  dark  chamber  it  shone  as  if  a  great  multi- 
tude of  tapers  were  lighted  in  that  place.  Tsar 
Vwislav  put  the  feather  in  his  cabinet  as  a  thing  to  be 
guarded  forever.  From  that  time  forth  the  Fire-bird 
flew  to  the  garden  no  more. 

Tsar  Vwislav  again  called  his  sons,  and  said :  "  My 
dear  children,  I  give  you  my  blessing.  Set  out,  find 
the  Fire-bird,  and  bring  her  to  me  alive;  and  what 
I  promised  at  first  he  will  surely  receive  who  brings 
me  the  bird." 

Dmitri  and  Vassili  Tsarevich  began  to  cherish 
hatred  against  their  youngest  brother  because  he 
had  pulled  the  feather  from  the  tail  of  the  Fire-bird. 
They  took  their  father's  blessing,  and  both  went  to 
find  the  Fire-bird.  Ivan  Tsarevich  too  began  to  beg 
his  father's  blessing.  The  Tsar  said  to  him :  "  My 
dear  son,  my  darling  child,  thou  art  still  young, 
unused  to  such  a  long  and  difficult  journey:  why 
shouldst  thou  part  from  me?  Thy  brothers  have 
gone ;  now,  if  thou  goest  too,  and  all  three  of  you 
fail  to  return  for  a  long  time  (I  am  old,  and  walk 
under  God),  and  if  during  your  absence  the  Lord 
takes  my  life,  who  would  rule  in  my  place?  There 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the  Wolf.          23 

might  be  rebellion  too,  or  disagreement  among  our 
people, — there  would  be  no  one  to  stop  it;  or  if 
an  enemy  should  invade  our  land,  there  would  be 
no  one  to  command  our  men." 

But  no  matter  how  the  Tsar  tried  to  detain  Ivan 
Tsarevich,  he  could  not  avoid  letting  him  go  at  his 
urgent  prayer.  Ivan  Tsarevich  took  a  blessing  of 
his  father,  chose  a  horse,  and  rode  away;  he  rode  on, 
not  knowing  himself  whither. 

Riding  by  the  path  by  the  road,  whether  it  was 
near  or  far,  high  or  low,  a  tale  is  soon  told,  but  a 
deed  's  not  soon  done.  At  last  he  came  to  the  green 
meadows.  In  the  open  field  a  pillar  stands,  and  on 
the  pillar  these  words  are  written :  "  Whoever  goes 
from  the  pillar  straight  forward  will  be  hungry  and 
cold ;  whoever  goes  to  the  right  hand  will  be  healthy 
and  well,  but  his  horse  will  be  dead ;  whoever  goes 
to  the  left  hand  will  be  killed  himself,  but  his  horse 
will  be  living  and  well."  Ivan  read  the  inscription, 
and  went  to  the  right  hand,  holding  in  mind  that 
though  his  horse  might  be  killed,  he  would  remain 
alive,  and  might  in  time  get  another  horse. 

He  rode  one  day,  a  second,  and  a  third.  All  at  once 
an  enormous  gray  wolf  came  out  against  him  and 
said :  "  Oh !  is  that  thou,  tender  youth,  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich ?  Thou  hast  read  on  the  pillar  that  thy  horse  will 
be  dead:  why  hast  thou  come  hither,  then?  "  The 
wolf  said  these  words,  tore  Ivan  Tsarevich's  horse  in 
two,  and  went  to  one  side. 


24          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Ivan  grieved  greatly  for  his  horse.  He  cried  bit- 
terly, and  went  forward  on  foot.  He  walked  all  day, 
and  was  unspeakably  tired.  He  was  going  to  sit 
down  and  rest,  when  all  at  once  the  Gray  Wolf 
caught  up  with  him  and  said :  "  I  am  sorry  for  thee, 
Ivan  Tsarevich,  thou  art  tired  from  walking;  I  am 
sorry  that  I  ate  thy  good  steed.  Well,  sit  on  me, 
the  old  wolf,  and  tell  me  whither  to  bear  thee, 
and  why." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  told  the  Gray  Wolf  whither  he 
had  to  go,  and  the  Gray  Wolf  shot  ahead  with  him 
swifter  than  a  horse.  After  a  time,  just  at  nightfall, 
.he  brought  Ivan  Tsarevich  to  a  stone  wall  not  very 
high,  halted,  and  said :  "  Now,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  come 
down  from  the  Gray  Wolf,  climb  over  that  stone 
wall;  on  the  other  side  is  a  garden,  and  in  the 
garden  the  Fire-bird,  in  a  golden  cage.  Take  the 
Fire-bird,  but  touch  not  the  cage.  If  thou  takest 
the  cage,  thou  'It  not  escape ;  they  will  seize  thee 
straightway." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  climbed  over  the  wall  into  the 
garden,  saw  the  Fire-bird  in  the  golden  cage,  and 
was  greatly  tempted  by  the  cage.  He  took  the  bird 
out,  and  was  going  back ;  but  changed  his  mind,  and 
thought,  "  Why  have  I  taken  the  bird  without  the 
cage?  '  Where  can  I  put  her?  "  He  returned;  but  had 
barely  taken  down  the  cage  when  there  was  a  ham- 
mering and  thundering  throughout  the  whole  gar- 
den, for  there  were  wires  attached  to  the  cage.  The 


OF 

rp 
Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the  WofT         25 

watchmen  woke  up  at  that  moment,  ran  to  the  gar- 
den, caught  Ivan  Tsarevich  with  the  Fire-bird,  and 
took  him  to  the  Tsar,  who  was  called  Dolmat.  Tsar 
Dolmat  was  terribly  enraged  at  Ivan,  and  shouted 
at  him  in  loud,  angry  tones :  "  Is  it  not  a  shame  for 
thee,  young  man,  to  steal?  But  who  art  thou,  of 
what  land,  of  what  father  a  son,  and  how  do  they 
call  thee  by  name?" 

Ivan  Tsarevich  replied :  "  I  am  from  Vwislav's 
kingdom,  the  son  of  Tsar  Vwislav  Andronovich,  and 
they  call  me  Ivan  Tsarevich.  Thy  Fire-bird  used  to 
fly  to  our  garden  each  night  and  pluck  golden  apples 
from  my  father's  favorite  apple-tree,  and  destroyed 
almost  the  whole  tree.  Therefore  my  father  has  sent 
me  to  find  the  Fire-bird  and  bring  it  to  him." 

"  Oh,  youthful  young  man,  Ivan  Tsarevich,"  said 
Tsar  Dolmat,  "  is  it  fitting  to  do  as  thou  hast  done? 
Thou  shouldst  have  come  to  me,  and  I  would  have 
given  thee  the  Fire-bird  with  honor ;  but  now  will  it 
be  well  for  thee  when  I  send  to  all  lands  to  declare 
how  dishonorably  thou  hast  acted  in  my  kingdom? 
Listen,  however,  Ivan  Tsarevich.  If  thou  wilt  do  me 
a  service,  —  if  thou  wilt  go  beyond  the  thrice  ninth 
land  to  the  thirtieth  kingdom  and  get  for  me  from 
Tsar  Afron  the  golden-maned  steed,  I  will  forgive 
thy  offence  and  give  thee  the  Fire-bird  with  great 
honor;  if  not,  I  will  publish  in  all  kingdoms  that 
thou  art  a  dishonorable  thief." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  away  from  Tsar  Dolmat  in 


26         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

great  grief,  promising  to  obtain  for  him  the  golden- 
maned  steed. 

He  came  to  the  Gray  Wolf,  and  told  him  all  that 
Tsar  Dolmat  had  said. 

"  Oh !  is  that  thou,  youthful  young  man,  Ivan 
Tsarevich?  Why  didst  thou  disobey  my  words  and 
take  the  golden  cage  ?  " 

"  I  have  offended  in  thy  sight,"  said  Ivan  to  the 
Gray  Wolf. 

"  Well,  let  that  go ;  sit  on  me,  and  I  will  take  thee 
wherever  thou  wilt." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  sat  on  the  back  of  the  Gray  Wolf. 
The  wolf  was  as  swift  as  an  arrow,  and  ran,  whether  it 
was  long  or  short,  till  he  came  at  last  to  the  kingdom 
of  Tsar  Afron  in  the  night-time.  Coming  to  the  white- 
walled  stables,  the  Gray  Wolf  said :  "  Go,  Ivan  Tsa- 
revich, into  these  white-walled  stables  (the  grooms 
on  guard  are  sleeping  soundly),  and  take  the  golden- 
maned  steed.  On  the  wall  hangs  a  golden  bridle ;  but 
take  not  the  bridle,  or  it  will  go  ill  with  thee." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  entered  the  white-walled  stables, 
took  the  steed,  and  was  coming  back;  but  he  saw  on 
the  walls  the  golden  bridle,  and  was  so  tempted  that 
he  took  it  from  the  nail.  That  moment  there  went  a 
thunder  and  a  noise  throughout  the  stables,  because 
strings  were  tied  to  the  bridle.  The  grooms  on 
guard  woke  up  that  moment,  rushed  in,  seized  Ivan 
Tsarevich,  and  took  him  to  Tsar  Afron.  Tsar  Afron 
began  to  question  him.  "  Oh,  youthful  young  man, 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the   Wolf.  27 

tell  me  from  what  land  thou   art,  of  what  father  a 
son,  and  how  do  they  call  thee  by  name?" 

To  this  Ivan  Tsarevich  replied  :  "I  am  from 
Vwislav's  kingdom,  the  son  of  Tsar  Vwislav,  and 
they  call  me  Ivan  Tsarevich." 

"  Oh,  youthful  young  man,  Ivan  Tsarevich  !  "  said 
Tsar  Afron,  "was  that  which  thou  hast  done  the  deed 
of  an  honorable  knight?  I  would  have  given  thee  the 
golden-maned  steed  with  honor.  But  now  will  it  be 
well  for  thee  when  I  send  to  all  lands  a  declaration 
of  how  dishonorably  thou  hast  acted  in  my  kingdom? 
Hear  me,  however,  Ivan .  Tsarevich :  if  thou  wilt  do 
me  a  service  and  go  beyond  the  thrice  ninth  land 
to  the  thirtieth  kingdom  and  bring  to  me  Princess 
Yelena  the  Beautiful,  with  whom  I  am  in  love  heart 
and  soul  for  a  long  time,  but  whom  I  cannot  obtain, 
I  will  pardon  thy  offence  and  give  thee  the  golden- 
maned  steed  with  honor.  And  if  thou  wilt  not  do 
me  this  service,  I  will  declare  in  all  lands  that  thou 
art  a  dishonorable  thief. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  promised  Tsar  Afron  to  bring 
Yelena  the  Beautiful,  left  the  palace,  and  fell  to 
crying  bitterly. 

He  came  to  the  Gray  Wolf  and  told  him  all  that 
had  happened. 

"  Oh,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  thou  youthful  young  man," 
said  the  Gray  Wolf,  "  why  didst  thou  disobey  me  and 
take  the  golden  bridle?  " 

"I  have  offended  in  thy  sight,"  said  Ivan  Tsarevich, 


28         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Well,  let  that  go,"  replied  the  Wolf.  "  Sit  on  me ; 
I  will  take  thee  wherever  need  be." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  sat  on  the  back  of  the  Gray  Wolf, 
who  ran  as  swiftly  as  an  arrow  flies,  and  he  ran  in 
such  fashion  as  to  be  told  in  a  tale  no  long  time; 
and  at  last  he  came  to  the  kingdom  of  Yelena  the 
Beautiful.  Coming  to  the  golden  fence  which  sur- 
rounded her  wonderful  garden,  the  Wolf  said :  "  Now, 
Ivan  Tsarevich,  come  down  from  me  and  go  back  by 
the  same  road  along  which  we  came  and  wait  in  the 
field,  under  the  green  oak." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  where  he  was  commanded. 
But  the  Gray  Wolf  sat  near  the  golden  fence,  and 
waited  till  Yelena  the  Beautiful  should  walk  in  the 
garden. 

Toward  evening,  when  the  sun  was  sinking  low  in 
the  west,  therefore,  it  was  not  very  warm  in  the  air, 
Princess  Yelena  went  to  walk  in  the  garden  with  her 
maidens  and  court  ladies.  When  she  entered  the 
garden  and  approached  the  place  where  the  Gray 
Wolf  was  sitting  behind  the  fence,  he  jumped  out 
suddenly,  caught  the  princess,  sprang  back  again,  and 
bore  her  away  with  all  his  power  and  might.  He 
came  to  the  green  oak  in  the  open  field  where  Ivan 
Tsarevich  was  waiting,  and  said,  "  Ivan  Tsarevich,  sit  on 
me  quickly."  Ivan  sat  on  him,  and  the  Gray  Wolf  bore 
them  both  along  swiftly  to  the  kingdom  of  Tsar  Afron. 

The  nurses  and  maidens  and  all  the  court  ladies 
who  had  been  walking  in  the  garden  with  the  prin- 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the  Wolf.          29 

cess  Yelena  the  Beautiful  ran  straightway  to  the 
palace  and  sent  pursuers  to  overtake  the  Gray  Wolf; 
but  no  matter  how  they  ran,  they  could  not  overtake 
him,  and  turned  back. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  while  sitting  on  the  Gray  Wolf 
with  princess  Yelena  the  Beautiful  came  to  love  her 
with  his  heart,  and  she  Ivan  Tsarevich;  and  when 
the  Gray  Wolf  arrived  at  the  kingdom  of  Tsar  Afron, 
and  Ivan  Tsarevich  had  to  take  Yelena  the  Beautiful 
to  the  palace  and  give  her  to  Tsar  Afron,  he  grew 
very  sad,  and  began  to  weep  tearfully. 

"What  art  thou  weeping  for,  Ivan  Tsarevich?" 
asked  the  Gray  Wolf. 

"My  friend,  why  should  I,  good  youth,  not  weep? 
I  have  formed  a  heartfelt  love  for  Yelena  the  Beauti- 
ful, and  now  I  must  give  her  to  Tsar  Afron  for  the 
golden-maned  steed ;  and  if  I  yield  her  not,  then  Tsar 
Afron  will  dishonor  me  in  all  lands." 

"  I  have  served  thee  much,  Ivan  Tsarevich,"  said 
the  Gray  Wolf,  "  and  I  will  do  yet  this  service.  Lis- 
ten to  me.  I  will  turn  myself  into  a  princess, 
Yelena  the  Beautiful.  Do  thou  give  me  to  Tsar 
Afron  and  take  from  him  the  golden-maned  steed ;  he 
will  think  me  the  real  princess.  And  when  thou  art 
sitting  on  the  steed  and  riding  far  away,  I  will  beg  of 
Tsar  Afron  permission  to  walk  in  the  open  field. 
When  he  lets  me  go  with  the  maidens  and  nurses  and 
all  the  court  ladies,  and  I  am  with  them  in  the  open 
field,  remember  me,  and  I  will  come  to  thee." 


30         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  Gray  Wolf  spoke  these  words,  struck  the 
damp  earth,  and  became  a  princess,  Yelena  the  Beau- 
tiful, so  that  it  was  not  possible  in  any  way  to  know 
that  the  wolf  was  not  the  princess.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
told  Yelena  the  Beautiful  to  wait  outside  the  town, 
and  took  the  Gray  Wolf  to  the  palace  of  Tsar 
Afron. 

When  Ivan  Tsarevich  came  with  the  pretended 
Yelena  the  Beautiful,  Tsar  Afron  was  greatly  de- 
lighted in  his  heart  that  he  had  received  a  treasure 
which  he  had  long  desired.  He  took  the  false 
maiden,  and  gave  Ivan  Tsarevich  the  golden-maned 
steed. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  mounted  the  steed  and  rode  out  of 
the  town,  seated  Yelena  the  Beautiful  with  him,  and 
rode  on,  holding  his  way  toward  the  kingdom  of 
Tsar  Dolmat. 

The  Gray  Wolf  lived  with  Tsar  Afron  a  day,  a  sec- 
ond, and  a  third,  instead  of  Yelena  the  Beautiful.  On 
the  fourth  day  he  went  to  Tsar  Afron,  begging  to  go 
out  in  the  open  field  to  walk,  to  drive  away  cruel 
grief  and  sorrow.  Then  Tsar  Afron  said :  "  Oh,  my 
beautiful  princess  Yelena,  I  will  do  everything  for 
thee ;  I  will  let  thee  go  to  the  open  field  to  walk !  " 
And  straightway  he  commanded  the  nurses,  the 
maidens,  and  all  the  court  ladies  to  go  to  the  open 
field  and  walk  with  the  beautiful  princess. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  was  riding  along  his  road  and  path 
with  Yelena  the  Beautiful,  talking  with  her;  and  he 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the   Wolf.  31 

had  forgotten  about  the  Gray  Wolf,  but  afterward  re- 
membered. "  Oh,  where  is  my  Gray  Wolf?  " 

All  at  once,  from  wherever  he  came,  the  wolf 
stood  before  Ivan,  and  said :  "  Ivan  Tsarevich,  sit  on 
me,  the  Gray  Wolf,  and  let  the  beautiful  princess  ride 
on  the  golden-maned  steed." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  sat  on  the  Gray  Wolf,  and  they 
went  toward  the  kingdom  of  Tsar  Dolmat.  Whether 
they  journeyed  long  or  short,  when  they  had  come 
to  the  kingdom  they  stopped  about  three  versts  from 
the  capital  town;  and  Ivan  Tsarevich  began  to  im- 
plore :  "  Listen  to  me,  Gray  Wolf,  my  dear  friend. 
Thou  hast  shown  me  many  a  service,  show  me  the 
last  one  now ;  and  the  last  one  is  this :  Couldst  thou 
not  turn  to  a  golden-maned  steed  instead  of  this  one? 
for  I  do  not  like  to  part  with  this  horse." 

Suddenly  the  Gray  Wolf  struck  the  damp  earth 
and  became  a  golden-maned  steed.  Ivan  Tsarevich, 
leaving  princess  Yelena  in  the  green  meadow,  sat  on 
the  Gray  Wolf  and  went  to  the  palace  of  Tsar  Dol- 
mat. The  moment  he  came,  Tsar  Dolmat  saw  that 
Ivan  Tsarevich  was  riding  on  the  golden-maned 
steed,  and  he  rejoiced  greatly.  Straightway  he  went 
out  of  the  palace,  met  the  Tsarevich  in  the  broad 
court,  kissed  him,  took  him  by  the  right  hand,  and 
led  him  into  the  white  stone  chambers.  Tsar  Dolmat 
on  the  occasion  of  such  joy  gave  orders  for  a  feast, 
and  they  sat  at  the  oaken  table  at  the  spread  cloth. 
They  ate,  they  drank,  they  amused  themselves,  and 


32         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

rejoiced  exactly  two  days ;  and  on  the  third  day  Tsar 
Dolmat  gave  Ivan  Tsarevich  the  Fire-bird  together 
with  the  golden  cage.  Ivan  took  the  Fire-bird,  went 
outside  the  town,  sat  on  the  golden-maned  steed 
together  with  Yelena  the  Beautiful,  and  went  toward 
his  own  native  place,  toward  the  kingdom  of  Tsar 
Vwislav. 

Tsar  Dolmat  the  next  day  thought  to  take  a  ride 
through  the  open  field  on  his  golden-maned  steed. 
He  ordered  them  to  saddle  him ;  he  sat  on  the  horse, 
and  rode  to  the  open  field.  The  moment  he  urged 
the  horse,  the  horse  threw  Tsar  Dolmat  off  his  back, 
became  the  Gray  Wolf  as  before,  ran  off,  and  came 
up  with  Ivan  Tsarevich.  "  Ivan  Tsarevich,"  said  he, 
"  sit  on  me,  the  Gray  Wolf,  and  let  Yelena  the  Beau- 
tiful ride  on  the  golden-maned  steed." 

Ivan  sat  on  the  Gray  Wolf,  and  they  went  their 
way.  When  the  Gray  Wolf  had  brought  Ivan  to  the 
place  where  he  had  torn  his  horse,  he  stopped  and 
said :  "  I  have  served  thee  sufficiently,  with  faith  and 
truth.  On  this  spot  I  tore  thy  horse  in  two ;  to  this 
spot  I  have  brought  thee.  Come  down  from  me,  the 
Gray  Wolf :  thou  hast  a  golden-maned  steed;  sit  on 
him,  and  go  wherever  thou  hast  need.  I  am  no 
longer  thy  servant." 

The  Gray  Wolf  said  these  words  and  ran  to  one 
side.  Ivan  wept  bitterly  for  the  Gray  Wolf,  and 
went  on  with  the  beautiful  princess. 

Whether  he  rode  long  or  short  with  the  beautiful 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the  Wolf.          33 

princess,  when  he  was  within  twenty  versts  of  his  own 
kingdom  he  stopped,  dismounted,  and  he  and  the 
beautiful  princess  rested  from  the  heat  of  the  sun 
under  a  tree ;  he  tied  the  golden-maned  steed  to  the 
same  tree,  and  put  the  cage  of  the  Fire-bird  by  his 
side.  Lying  on  the  soft  grass,  they  talked  pleasantly, 
and  fell  soundly  asleep. 

At  that  time  the  brothers  of  Ivan  Tsarevich,  Dmitri 
and  Vassili  Tsarevich,  after  travelling  through  many 
lands  without  finding  the  Fire-bird,  were  on  their  way 
home  with  empty  hands,  and  came  unexpectedly 
upon  their  brother  with  the  beautiful  princess.  See- 
ing the  golden-maned  steed  and  the  Fire-bird  in  the 
cage,  they  were  greatly  tempted,  and  thought  of  kill- 
ing their  brother  Ivan.  Dmitri  took  his  own  sword 
out  of  the  scabbard,  stabbed  Ivan  Tsarevich,  and  cut 
him  to  pieces ;  then  he  roused  the  beautiful  princess 
and  asked  :  "  Beautiful  maiden,  of  what  land  art  thou, 
of  what  father  a  daughter,  and  how  do  they  call  thee 
by  name?" 

The  beautiful  princess,  seeing  Ivan  Tsarevich  dead, 
was  terribly  frightened;  she  began  to  shed  bitter 
tears,  and  in  her  tears  she  said :  "  I  am  Princess 
Yelena  the  Beautiful ;  Ivan  Tsarevich,  whom  ye  have 
given  to  a  cruel  death,  got  me.  If  ye  were  good 
knights,  ye  would  have  gone  with  him  into  the  open 
field  and  conquered  him  there;  but  ye  killed  him 
when  asleep  ;  and  what  fame  will  ye  receive  for  your- 
selves ?  A  sleeping  man  is  the  same  as  a  dead  one." 

3 


34          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Then  Dmitri  Tsarevich  put  his  sword  to  the  heart 
of  Yelena  the  Beautiful  and  said:  "  Hear  me,  Yelena 
the  Beautiful,  thou  art  now  in  our  hands;  we  will 
take  thee  to  our  father,  Tsar  Vwislav,  thou  wilt  tell 
him  that  we  got  thee  and  the  Fire-bird  and  the 
golden-maned  steed.  If  not,  we  will  give  thee  to 
death  this  minute."  The  princess,  afraid  of  death, 
promised  them,  and  swore  by  everything  sacred  that 
•she  would  speak  as  commanded.  Then  they  began 
to  cast  lots  who  should  have  Yelena  the  Beautiful,  and 
who  the  golden-maned  steed ;  and  the  lot  fell  that  the 
princess  should  go  to  Vassili,  and  the  golden-maned 
steed  to  Dmitri. 

Then  Vassili  Tsarevich  took  the  princess,  and 
placed  her  on  his  horse;  Dmitri  sat  on  the  golden- 
maned  steed,  and  took  the  Fire-bird  to  give  to  their 
father,  Tsar  Vwislav ;  and  they  went  their  way. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  lay  dead  on  that  spot  exactly  thirty 
•days;  then  the  Gray  Wolf  ran  up,  knew  Ivan  by  his 
-odor,  wanted  to  aid  him,  to  bring  him  to  life,  but 
knew  not  how.  Just  then  the  Gray  Wolf  saw  a  raven 
with  two  young  ones  who  were  flying  above  the  body 
and  wanted  to  eat  the  flesh  of  Ivan  Tsarevich.  The 
•wolf  hid  behind  a  bush ;  and  when  the  young  ravens 
had  come  down  and  were  ready  to  eat  the  body,  he 
sprang  out,  caught  one,  and  was  going  to  tear  it  in 
two.  Then  the  raven  came  down,  sat  a  little  way  from 
the  Gray  Wolf,  and  said :  "  Oh,  Gray  Wolf,  touch 
not  my  young  child ;  it  has  done  nothing  to  thee  !  " 


Ivan,  the  Bird,  and  the   Wolf.          35 

"  Listen  to  me,  raven,"  said  the  Gray  Wolf.  "  I  will 
not  touch  thy  child;  I  will  let  it  go  unharmed  and 
well  if  thou  wilt  do  me  a  service.  Fly  beyond  the 
thrice  ninth  land  to  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  and  bring 
me  the  water  of  death  and  the  water  of  life." 

"  I  will  do  that,  but  touch  not  my  son."  Having 
said  these  words,  the  raven  flew  away  and  soon  disap- 
peared from  sight.  On  the  third  day  the  raven  re- 
turned, bringing  two  vials,  in  one  the  water  of  life,  in 
the  other  the  water  of  death,  and  gave  them  both  to 
the  Gray  Wolf.  The  wolf  took  the  vials,  tore  the 
young  raven  in  two,  sprinkled  it  with  the  water  of 
death ;  the  little  raven  grew  together,  he  sprinkled  it 
with  the  water  of  life,  and  the  raven  sprang  up  and 
flew  away. 

The  Gray  Wolf  sprinkled  Ivan  Tsarevich  with  the 
water  of  death :  the  body  grew  together ;  he  sprinkled 
it  with  the  water  of  life :  Ivan  Tsarevich  stood  up  and 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  how  long  I  have  slept !  " 

"  Thou  wouldst  have  slept  forever,  had  it  not  been 
for  me.  Thy  brothers  cut  thee  to  pieces  and  carried 
off  Princess  Yelena  with  the  golden-maned  steed  and 
the  Fire-bird.  Now  hurry  with  all  speed  to  thy  own 
country ;  Vassili  Tsarevich  will  marry  thy  bride  to- 
day. To  reach  home  quickly,  sit  on  me ;  I  will  bear 
thee." 

Ivan  sat  on  the  Gray  Wolf;  the  wolf  ran  with  him 
to  the  kingdom  of  Tsar  Vwislav,  and  whether  it  was 
long  or  short,  he  ran  to  the  edge  of  the  town. 


36          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Ivan  sprang  from  the  Gray  Wolf,  walked  into  the 
town,  and  found  that  his  brother  Vassili  had  married 
Yelena  the  Beautiful,  had  returned  with  her  from  the 
ceremony,  and  was  sitting  with  her  at  the  feast. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  entered  the  palace ;  and  when  Yelena 
the  Beautiful  saw  him,  she  sprang  up  from  the  table, 
kissed  him,  and  cried  out:  "This  is  my  dear  bride- 
groom, Ivan  Tsarevich,  and  not  that  scoundrel  at  the 
table." 

Then  Tsar  Vwislav  rose  from  his  place  and  asked 
the  meaning  of  these  words.  Yelena  the  Beautiful 
told  the  whole  truth,  —  told  how  Ivan  Tsarevich  had 
won  her,  the  golden-maned  steed,  and  the  Fire-bird ; 
how  his  elder  brother  had  killed  him  while  asleep; 
and  how  they  had  terrified  her  into  saying  that  they 
had  won  everything. 

Tsar  Vwislav  was  terribly  enraged  at  Dmitri  and 
Vassili,  and  cast  them  into  prison ;  but  Ivan  Tsarevich 
married  Yelena  the  Beautiful,  and  lived  with  her  in 
harmony  and  love,  so  that  one  of  them  could  not 
exist  a  single  minute  without  the  other. 


IVAN  THE  PEASANT'S  SON  AND  THE  LITTLE 
MAN  HIMSELF  ONE-FINGER  TALL,  HIS 
MUSTACHE  SEVEN  VERSTS  IN  LENGTH. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom  in  a  certain  land  there  lived 
a  Tsar,  and  in  the  courtyard  of  the  Tsar  was  a 
pillar,  and  in  the  pillar  three  rings,  one  gold,  one 
silver,  and  the  third  copper.  One  night  the  Tsar 
dreamed  that  there  was  a  horse  tied  to  the  gold  ring, 
that  every  hair  on  him  was  silver,  and  the  clear  moon 
was  on  his  forehead.  In  the  morning  the  Tsar  rose 
up  and  ordered  it  to  be  proclaimed  that  whoever 
could  interpret  the  dream  and  get  the  horse  for  him, 
to  that  man  would  he  give  his  daughter,  and  one  half 
the  kingdom  in  addition. 

At  the  summons  of  the  Tsar  a  multitude  of  princes, 
boyars,  and  all  kinds  of  lords  assembled.  No  man 
could  explain  the  dream ;  no  man  would  undertake 
to  get  the  horse.  At  last  they  explained  to  the  Tsar 
that  such  and  such  a  poor  man  had  a  son  Ivan,  who 
could  interpret  the  dream  and  get  the  horse. 

The  Tsar  commanded  them  to  summon  Ivan. 
They  summoned  him.  The  Tsar  asked,  "  Canst  thou 
explain  my  dream  and  get  the  horse  ?  " 

"  Tell  me  first,"  answered  Ivan,  "  what  the  dream 
was,  and  what  horse  thou  dost  need." 


38          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  Tsar  said :  "  Last  night  I  dreamed  that  a  horse 
was  tied  to  the  gold  ring  in  my  courtyard;  every 
hair  on  him  was  silver,  and  on  his  forehead  the  clear 
moon." 

"  That  is  not  a  dream,  but  a  reality;  for  last  night 
the  twelve-headed  serpent  came  to  thee  on  that  horse 
and  wanted  to  steal  thy  daughter." 

"  Is  it  possible  to  get  that  horse?  " 

"It  is,"  answered  Ivan;  "  but  only  when  my  fif- 
teenth year  is  passed." 

Ivan  was  then  but  twelve  years  old.  The  Tsar 
took  him  to  his  court,  gave  him  food  and  drink  till 
his  fifteenth  year. 

When  his  fifteenth  year  had  passed,  Ivan  said  to 
the  Tsar :  "  Now  give  me  a  horse  on  which  I  can 
ride  to  the  place  where  the  serpent  is." 

The  Tsar  led  him  to  his  stables  and  showed  him 
all  his  horses ;  but  he  could  not  find  a  single  one,  by 
reason  of  his  strength  and  weight.  When  he  placed 
his  hero's  hand  on  any  horse,  that  horse  fell  to  the 
ground ;  and  he  said  to  the  Tsar:  "  Let  me  go  to  the 
open  country  to  seek  a  horse  of  sufficient  strength." 

The  Tsar  let  him  go.  Ivan  the  peasant's  son 
looked  for  three  years ;  nowhere  could  he  find  a 
horse.  He  was  returning  to  the  Tsar  in  tears,  when 
an  old  man  happened  to  meet  him,  and  asked,  "Why 
dost  thou  weep,  young  man?  " 

To  this  question  Ivan  answered  rudely ;  just  chased 
the  old  man  away. 


Ivan  and  the  Little  Man.  39 

The  old  man  said:  "  Look  out,  young  fellow;  do 
not  speak  ill." 

Ivan  went  away  a  little  from  the  old  man,  and 
thought,  "  Why  have  I  offended  the  old  man?  Old 
people  know  much." 

He  returned,  caught  up  with  the  old  man,  fell 
down  before  him,  and  said :  "  Grandfather,  forgive 
me !  I  offended  thee  through  grief.  This  is  what  I 
am  crying  about :  three  years  have  I  travelled  through 
the  open  country  among  many  herds ;  nowhere  can 
I  find  a  horse  to  suit  me." 

The  old  man  said :  "  Go  to  such  a  village ;  there 
in  the  stable  of  a  poor  peasant  is  a  mare ;  that  mare 
has  a  mangy  colt ;  take  the  colt  and  feed  him,  —  he 
will  be  strong  enough  for  thee." 

Ivan  bowed  down  to  the  old  man,  and  went  to  the 
village;  went  straight  to  the  peasant's  stable;  saw 
the  mare  with  the  mangy  colt,  on  which  he  put  his 
hands.  The  colt  did  not  quiver  in  the  least.  Ivan 
took  him  from  the  peasant,  fed  him  some  time,  came 
to  the  Tsar,  and  said  that  he  had  a  horse.  Then  he 
began  to  make  ready  to  visit  the  serpent. 

The  Tsar  asked:  "How  many  men  dost  thou 
need,  Ivan?  " 

"  I  need  no  men,"  replied  Ivan ;  "  I  can  get  the 
horse  alone.  Thou  mightest  give  me  perhaps  half  a 
dozen  to  send  on  messages." 

The  Tsar  gave  him  six  men ;  they  made  ready  and 
set  out.  Whether  they  travelled  long  or  short  it  is 


4O         Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

unknown  to  any  man ;  only  this  is  known,  —  that 
they  came  to  a  fiery  river.  Over  the  river  was  a 
bridge ;  near  the  river  an  enormous  forest.  In  that 
forest  they  pitched  a  tent,  got  many  things  to  drink, 
and  began  to  eat  and  make  merry. 

Ivan  the  peasant's  son  said  to  his  comrades :  "  Let 
us  stand  guard  every  night  in  turn,  and  see  if  any 
man  passes  the  river." 

It  happened  that  when  any  of  Ivan's  comrades 
went  on  guard,  each  one  of  them  got  drunk  in  the 
evening  and  could  see  nothing.  At  last  Ivan  himself 
went  on  guard;  and  just  at  midnight  he  saw  that  a 
three-headed  serpent  was  crossing  the  river,  and  the 
serpent  called,  "  I  have  no  enemy,  no  calumniator, 
unless  one  enemy  and  one  calumniator,  Ivan  the 
peasant's  son ;  but  the  raven  has  n't  brought  his 
bones  in  a  bladder  yet." 

Ivan  the  peasant's  son  sprang  from  under  the 
bridge.  "  Thou  liest ;  I  am  here  !  " 

"  If  thou  art  here,  then  let  us  make  trial ;  "  and 
the  serpent  on  horseback  advanced  against  Ivan.  But 
Ivan  went  forth  on  foot,  gave  a  blow  with  his  sabre, 
and  cut  off  the  three  heads  of  the  serpent,  took  the 
horse  for  himself,  and  tied  him  to  the  tent. 

The  next  night  Ivan  the  peasant's  son  killed  the 
six-headed  serpent,  the  third  night  the  nine-headed 
one,  and  threw  them  into  the  fiery  river.  When  he 
went  on  guard  the  fourth  night  the  twelve-headed 
serpent  came,  and  began  to  speak  wrathfully.  "  Who 


Ivan  and  the  Little  Man.  41 

art  thou,  Ivan  the  peasant's  son?  Come  out  this  min- 
ute to  me  !  Why  didst  thou  kill  my  sons?  " 

Ivan  the  peasant's  son  slipped  out  and  said :  "  Let 
me  go  first  to  my  tent,  and  then  I  will  fight  with 
thee." 

"  Well,  go  on." 

Ivan  ran  to  his  comrades.  "  Here,  boys,  is  a  bowl, 
look  into  it;  when  it  shall  be  filled  with  blood,  come 
to  me." 

He  returned  and  stood  against  the  serpent ;  they 
rushed  and  struck  each  other.  Ivan  at  the  first  blow 
cut  four  heads  off  the  serpent,  but  went  himself  to 
his  knees  in  the  earth;  when  they  met  the  second 
time,  Ivan  cut  three  heads  off  and  sank  to  his  waist 
in  the  earth ;  the  third  time  they  met  he  cut  off  three 
more  heads,  and  sank  to  his  breast  in  the  earth ;  at 
last  he  cut  off  one  head,  and  sank  to  his  neck  in 
the  earth.  Then  only  did  his  comrades  think  of 
him ;  they  looked,  and  saw  that  the  blood  was  run- 
ning over  the  edge  of  the  bowl.  They  hastened  out, 
cut  off  the  last  head  of  the  serpent,  and  pulled  Ivan 
out  of  the  earth.  Ivan  took  the  serpent's  horse  and 
led  him  to  the  tent. 

Night  passed,  morning  came;  the  good  youth 
began  to  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.  Ivan  the  peas- 
ant's son  rose  up  from  the  merry-making  and  said  to 
his  comrades,  "Do  ye  wait  here."  He  turned  into 
a  cat,  and  went  along  the  bridge  over  the  fiery  river, 
came  to  the  house  where  the  serpents  used  to  live, 


42          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

and  began  to  make  friends  with  the  cats  there.  In 
the  house  there  remained  alive  only  the  old  mother 
of  the  serpents  and  her  three  daughters-in-law ;  they 
were  sitting  in  the  chamber  talking  to  one  another. 
"  How  could  we  destroy  that  scoundrel,  that  Ivan 
the  peasant's  son?" 

The  youngest  daughter-in-law  said :  "  I  '11  bring 
hunger  on  the  road,  and  turn  myself  into  an  apple- 
tree,  so  that  when  he  eats  an  apple  it  will  tear  him 
to  pieces  in  a  moment." 

The  second  daughter-in-law  said :  "  I  will  bring 
thirst  on  the  road,  and  turn  myself  into  a  well;  let 
him  try  to  drink." 

The  eldest  said :  "  I  '11  bring  sleep  and  make  a 
bed  of  myself;  let  Ivan  try  to  lie  down,  he  '11  die  in  a 
minute." 

At  last  the  old  woman  said :  "  I  '11  open  my  mouth 
from  earth  to  sky  and  swallow  them  all." 

Ivan  heard  what  they  said,  went  out  of  the  cham- 
ber, turned  into  a  man,  and  went  back  to  his  com- 
rades. "  Now,  boys,  make  ready  for  the  road." 

They  made  ready,  went  their  way,  and  to  begin  with 
a  terrible  hunger  appeared  on  the  road,  so  that  they 
had  nothing  to  eat.  They  saw  an  apple-tree.  Ivan's 
comrades  wanted  to  pluck  the  apples,  but  Ivan  would 
not  let  them.  "  That  is  not  aa  apple-tree,"  said  he ; 
and  began  to  slash  at  it :  blood  came  out.  Another 
time  thirst  came  upon  them.  Ivan  saw  a  well;  he 
would  not  let  them  drink  from  it ;  he  began  to  slash 


Ivan  and  the  Little  Man,  43 

at  it :  blood  came  forth.  Then  sleep  came  on  them ; 
there  was  a  bed  on  the  road.  Ivan  cut  it  to  pieces. 
They  came  to  the  jaws  stretched  from  the  earth  to 
the  sky.  What  was  to  be  done?  They  thought  of 
jumping  through  on  a  run.  No  man  was  able  to 
jump  through  save  Ivan ;  and  he  was  borne  out  of  the 
trouble  by  his  wonderful  steed,  every  hair  of  which 
was  silver,  and  the  bright  moon  on  his  forehead. 

He  came  to  a  river ;  at  the  river  was  a  hut ;  there  he 
was  met  by  a  little  man,  himself  one  finger  tall,  his 
mustache  seven  versts  in  length,  who  said :  "  Give 
me  the  horse ;  and  if  thou  wilt  not  give  him  quietly, 
I  '11  take  him  by  force." 

Ivan  answered :  "  Leave  me,  cursed  reptile,  or  I  '11 
crush  thee  under  the  horse." 

The  little  man  himself,  one  ringer  tall,  his  mus- 
tache seven  versts  in  length,  knocked  him  on  to  the 
ground,  sat  on  the  horse,  and  rode  away.  Ivan  went 
into  the  hut  and  grieved  greatly  for  his  horse.  In 
the  hut  was  lying  on  the  stove  a  footless,  handless 
man,  and  he  said  to  Ivan :  "  Listen,  good  hero,  —  I 
know  not  how  to  call  thee  by  name.  Why  didst  thou 
try  to  fight  with  him?  I  was  something  more  of  a  hero 
than  thou,  and  still  he  gnawed  my  hands  and  feet  off." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  I  ate  bread  on  his  table." 

Ivan  began  to  ask  how  he  could  win  his  horse 
back.  The  footless,  handless  said,  — 

"  Go  to  such  a  river  and  take  the   ferry,  ferry  for 


44         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

three  years,  take  money  from  no  man:  then  thou 
mayest  win  the  horse  back." 

Ivan  bowed  down  to  him,  went  to  the  river,  took 
the  ferry,  and  ferried  three  whole  years  for  nothing. 
Once  it  happened  to  him  to  ferry  over  three  old 
men ;  they  offered  him  money,  he  would  not  take  it. 

"  Tell  me,  good  hero,  why  thou  takest  no  money?  " 

He  said,  "  According  to  a  promise." 

"What  promise?" 

"A  malicious  man  took  my  horse,  and  good  peo- 
ple told  me  to  take  the  ferry  for  three  years,  and 
receive  money  from  no  man." 

The  old  men  said:  "If  thou  choosest,  Ivan,  we 
are  ready  to  help  thee  to  get  back  thy  horse." 

"  Help  me,  my  friends." 

The  old  men  were  not  common  people ;  they  were 
the  Freezer,  the  Devourer,  and  the  Wizard.  The 
Wizard  went  out  on  the  shore,  made  the  picture  of  a 
boat  in  the  sand  and  said :  "  Well,  brothers,  you  see 
this  boat?" 

"  We  see  it." 

"  Sit  in  it" 

All  four  sat  in  the  boat. 

The  Wizard  said :  "  Now,  light  little  boat,  do  me  a 
service  as  thou  didst  do  before." 

Straightway  the  boat  rose  in  the  air,  and  in  a  flash, 
just  like  an  arrow  sent  from  a  bow,  it  brought  them 
to  a  great  stony  mountain.  At  that  mountain  stood 
a  house,  and  in  the  house  lived  the  little  man,— 


Ivan  and  the  Little  Man.  45 

himself  one  finger  tall,  his  mustache  seven  versts  in 
length.  The  old  men  sent  Ivan  to  ask  for  the  horse. 
Ivan  began  to  ask. 

The  little  man  said :  "  Steal  the  Tsar's  daughter 
and  bring  her  to  me ;  then  I  '11  give  thee  the  horse." 

Ivan  told  this  to  his  comrades.  They  left  him  at 
once  and  went  to  the  Tsar.  The  Tsar  knew  what 
they  nad  come  for,  and  commanded  his  servants  to 
heat  the  bath  red  hot  "  Let  them  suffocate  there," 
said  he.  Then  he  asked  his  guests  to  the  bath. 
They  thanked  him  and  went.  The  Wizard  com- 
manded the  Freezer  to  go  first.  The  Freezer  went 
into  the  bath  and  made  it  cool.  Then  they  washed 
and  steamed  themselves,  and  came  to  the  Tsar.  He 
ordered  a  great  dinner  to  be  given,  and  a  multitude 
of  all  kinds  of  food  was  on  the  table.  The  Devourer 
began  and  ate  everything.  In  the  night  they  came 
together,  stole  the  Tsar's  daughter,  and  brought  her 
to  the  little  man  himself,  one  finger  tall,  his  mustache 
seven  versts  in  length.  They  gave  him  the  Tsar's 
daughter  and  got  the  horse. 

Ivan  bowed  down  to  the  old  men,  sat  on  the  horse, 
and  went  to  the  Tsar.  He  travelled  and  travelled, 
stopped  in  an  open  field  to  rest,  put  up  his  tent,  and 
lay  down.  He  woke  up,  threw  out  his  hand,  the 
Tsar's  daughter  was  by  him ;  he  was  delighted,  and 
asked,  "How  didst  thou  come  here?" 

"  I  turned  into  a  pin,  and  stuck  myself  into  thy 
collar." 


46         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

That  moment  she  turned  into  a  pin  again.  Ivan 
stuck  her  into  his  collar  and  travelled  on;  came  to 
the  Tsar.  The  Tsar  saw  the  wondrous  horse,  re- 
ceived the  good  hero  with  honor,  and  told  how  his 
daughter  had  been  stolen. 

Ivan  said :  "  Do  not  grieve,  I  have  brought  her 
back." 

He  went  into  the  next  chamber ;  the  Tsarevna 
turned  into  a  fair  maiden.  Ivan  took  her  by  the 
hand  and  brought  her  to  the  Tsar. 

The  Tsar  was  still  more  rejoiced.  He  took  the 
horse  for  himself,  and  gave  his  daughter  to  Ivan. 
Ivan  is  living  yet  with  his  young  wife. 


THE  FEATHER  OF  BRIGHT  FINIST  THE 
FALCON. 

THERE  lived  an  old  man  with  his  old  wife. 
They  had  three  daughters.  The  youngest 
was  such  a  beauty  that  she  could  neither  be  told  of 
in  a  tale  nor  described  with  a  pen.  Once  the  old 
man  was  going  to  town  to  the  fair,  and  he  said: 
"  My  dear  daughters,  say  what  ye  want;  I  will  buy 
all  ye  wish  at  the  fair." 

The  eldest  said,  "  Father,  buy  me  a  new  dress." 
The  second  said,  "  Father,  buy  me  a  shawl  kerchief." 
But  the  youngest  said,  "  Buy  me  a  red  flower." 

The  old  man  laughed  at  his  youngest  daughter. 
"  Oh,  little  dunce !  what  dost  thou  want  of  a  red 
flower?  Great  good  in  it  for  thee;  better  I'll  buy 
thee  clothes." 

No  matter  what  he  said,  he  could  not  persuade  her. 
"  Buy  me  a  little  red  flower,  nothing  but  that."  The 
old  man  went  to  the  fair,  bought  the  eldest  daughter 
a  dress,  the  second  a  shawl  kerchief;  but  in  the 
whole  town  he  could  not  find  a  red  flower.  Only  as 
he  was  coming  home  did  an  unknown  old  man  hap- 
pen in  his  way.  The  old  man  had  a  red  flower  in 
his  hand.  "  Sell  me  thy  flower,  old  man." 


48         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Talcs. 

"  It  is  not  for  sale,  it  is  reserved.  If  thy  youngest 
daughter  will  marry  my  son,  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon, 
I  will  give  the  flower  as  a  gift." 

The  father  grew  thoughtful.  Not  to  take  the 
flower  was  to  grieve  his  daughter,  and  to  take  it 
was  to  give  her  in  marriage,  God  knows  to  whom ! 
He  thought  and  thought;  still  he  took  the  flower. 
"  What  harm  ?  "  said  he  to  himself;  "  they  will  come 
with  proposals  by  and  by.  If  he  is  not  the  right 
man,  why,  we  can  refuse."  He  came  home,  gave  the 
eldest  daughter  her  dress,  the  second  her  shawl,  and 
to  the  youngest  he  gave  the  flower,  saying,  "  I  like 
not  thy  flower,  my  dear  daughter;  greatly  I  like  it 
not."  And  then  he  whispered  in  her  ear :  "  The 
flower  was  reserved,  and  not  for  sale.  I  took  it  from 
a  strange  man  for  the  promise  to  give  thee  in  mar- 
riage to  his  son,  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon." 

"  Be  not  troubled,  father,  he  is  so  good  and  kind ; 
he  flies  as  a  bright  falcon  in  the  sky,  and  when  he 
strikes  the  damp  earth  he  is  a  hero  of  heroes." 

"  But  dost  thou  know  him?  " 

"  I  know  him,  father.  Last  Sunday  he  was  at  Mass, 
and  looked  at  me  all  the  time.  I  talked  to  him  — 
he  loves  me,  father." 

The  old  man  shook  his  head,  looked  at  his  daughter 
very  sharply,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  on  her,  and 
said :  "  Go  to  thy  room,  my  dear  daughter,  it  is  time 
to  sleep.  The  morning  is  wiser  than  the  evening;  we 
will  talk  this  matter  over  hereafter." 


The  Feather  of  Bright  Finist.  49 

The  daughter  shut  herself  up  in  her  room,  put  the 
red  flower  in  water,  opened  the  window,  and  looked 
into  the  blue  distance.  Wherever  he  came  from, 
Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  of  Flowery  Feathers  wheeled 
before  her,  sprang  in  through  the  window,  struck  the 
floor,  and  became  a  young  man.  The  maiden  was 
frightened ;  but  when  he  spoke  it  became  one  knows 
not  how  joyous  and  pleasant  at  her  heart.  They 
talked  till  dawn,  —  I  know  not  indeed  of  what ;  I  know 
only  that  when  day  began  to  break,  Bright  Finist 
the  Falcon  of  Flowery  Feathers  kissed  her  and  said : 
"  Every  night  as  soon  as  the  bright  little  flower  is 
placed  on  the  window  I  will  fly  to  thee,  my  dear. 
But  here  is  a  feather  from  my  wing.  Shouldst  thou 
wish  for  robes,  go  out  on  the  balcony  and  wave  it  on 
the  right  side ;  in  a  moment  all  that  thy  soul  desires 
will  appear  before  thee."  He  kissed  her  once  more, 
turned  into  a  bright  falcon,  and  flew  away  beyond  the 
dark  forest. 

The  maiden  looked  after  her  fated  one,  closed  the 
window,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  From  that  time 
every  night,  as  soon  as  she  placed  the  little  red 
flower  at  the  window,  the  good  youth,  Bright  Finist 
the  Falcon,  flew  to  her. 

Well,  Sunday  came.  The  elder  sisters  began  to 
dress  for  Mass.  "  But  what  art  thou  going  to  wear? 
Thou  hast  nothing  new,"  said  they  to  the  youngest 
one. 

She  answered,  "  Never  mind ;  I  can  pray  even  at 
home."  4 


50         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  elder  sisters  went  to  church,  and  the  youngest 
sat  at  the  window  in  an  old  dress  and  looked  at  the 
orthodox  people  going  to  church.  She  bided  her 
time,  went  out  on  the  porch,  waved  her  colored 
feather  on  the  right ;  and  from  wherever  they  came 
there  appeared  before  her  a  crystal  carriage,  blooded 
horses,  servants  in  gold,  robes,  and  every  ornament 
of  precious  stones.  In  one  moment  the  beautiful 
maiden  was  dressed,  sat  in  the  carriage,  and  dashed 
off  to  church.  The  people  look,  admire  her  beauty. 
"  It  is  clear  that  some  Tsar's  daughter  has  come," 
said  they  among  themselves. 

As  soon  as  "  Dostoino  "  was  sung,  she  went  out  of 
the  church,  sat  in  the  carriage,  and  was  whirled  back 
home.  The  orthodox  people  went  out  to  look  at 
her,  to  see  where  she  would  go ;  but  nothing  of  the 
sort,  —  her  trace  had  grown  cold  long  ago. 

Our  beauty  had  barely  come  to  the  court  when 
she  waved  her  bright  feather  on  the  left  side ;  in  a 
moment  the  maidens  undressed  her  and  the  carriage 
vanished.  She  was  sitting  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened, looking  out  through  the  window  to  see  how 
the  orthodox  people  go  home  from  church. 

The  sisters  too  came  home.  "  Well,  sister,"  said 
they,  "  what  a  beauty  was  at  church  to-day  !  Just  a 
sight,  neither  to  be  told  in  a  tale  nor  described 
with  a  pen.  It  must  be  that  she  is  some  Tsar's 
daughter  from  another  land,  so  splendidly  dressed, 
wonderfully !  " 


The  Feather  of  Bright  Finist.          5  r 

The  second  and  third  Sundays  came ;  the  beautiful 
maiden  mystified  the  orthodox  people,  and  her  sis- 
ters, her  father,  and  her  mother.  But  the  last  time 
when  she  undressed  she  forgot  to  take  out  of  her 
hair  the  diamond  pin.  The  elder  sisters  came  from 
the  church  and  told  her  of  the  Tsar's  daughter;  but 
when  they  looked  at  the  youngest  sister  the  diamonds 
were  blazing  in  her  hair. 

"  Oh,  sister,  what  is  this?"  cried  they;  "why  just 
such  a  pin  was  in  the  hair  of  the  Tsar's  daughter  to- 
day. Where  didst  thou  get  it?" 

The  beautiful  maiden  was  confused,  and  ran  to  her 
chamber.  There  was  no  end  of  guesses  and  whis- 
pers, but  the  youngest  sister  said  nothing  and 
laughed  in  secret.  The  elder  sisters  began  to  watch 
her  and  to  listen  in  the  night  at  her  chamber ;  and 
they  overheard  one  time  her  conversation  with  Bright 
Finist  the  Falcon,  and  saw  with  their  own  eyes  at 
daybreak  how  he  sprang  from  the  window  and  flew 
off  beyond  the  dark  forest. 

The  elder  sisters  were  clearly  malicious.  They 
planned  to  put  hidden  knives  for  the  evening  on 
the  window  of  their  sister's  room,  so  that  Bright 
Finist  the  Falcon  might  cut  his  colored  wings.  They 
did  this  straightway ;  the  youngest  sister  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  matter.  She  put  her  red  flower  on  the 
window,  lay  down  on  the  couch,  and  fell  asleep 
soundly.  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  flew  to  the 
window,  and  as  he  was  springing  in  cut  his  left  foot; 


52          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

but  the  beautiful  maiden  knew  nothing  of  this ;  she 
was  sleeping  so  sweetly,  so  calmly.  Angrily  did 
Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  rise  to  the  sky  and  fly 
beyond  the  dark  forest. 

In  the  morning  the  maiden  woke  up.  She  looked 
on  every  side ;  it  was  daylight  already,  and  the  good 
youth  was  not  there.  She  looked  at  the  window, 
and  on  the  window  were  two  sharp  knives  across 
each  other,  and  red  blood  was  dripping  from  them 
to  the  flower.  Long  did  the  maiden  shed  bitter  tears, 
many  sleepless  nights  did  she  pass  by  the  window 
of  her  chamber.  She  waved  the  bright  feather  in 
vain;  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  flies  no  longer  him- 
self, and  sends  not  his  servants. 

At  last  she  went  to  her  father  with  tears  in  her 
eyes  and  begged  his  blessing,  gave  orders  to  forge 
three  pairs  of  iron  shoes,  three  iron  staves,  three 
iron  caps,  and  three  iron  Easter  cakes;  she  put  a 
pair  of  shoes  on  her  feet,  the  cap  on  her  head,  took 
a  staff  in  her  hand,  and  went  toward  that  point  from 
which  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  had  flown  to  her. 
She  goes  through  slumbering  forests,  she  goes  over 
stumps,  over  logs.  One  pair  of  iron  shoes  are  trod- 
den out,  one  iron  cap  is  worn  off,  one  staff  is  break- 
ing up,  one  cake  is  gnawed  away,  and  the  beautiful 
maiden  walks  on,  walks  all  the  time,  and  the  forest 
grows  darker,  grows  denser. 

All  at  once  she  sees  standing  before  her  an  iron 
hut  on  hen's  legs,  and  it  turns  without  ceasing. 


\ 

The  Feather  of  Bright  Finist.  53 

"  Hut,  hut !  "  said  she,  "  stand  with  thy  back  to  the 
forest,  thy  front  to  me." 

The  hut  turned  its  front  to  her.  She  entered  the 
hut,  and  in  it  was  lying  a  Baba-Yaga  from  corner  to 
corner,  her  lips  on  the  crosspiece,  her  nose  in  the  loft. 

"  Tfu-tfu-tfu  !  in  former  days  nothing  of  Russia  was 
seen  with  sight  nor  heard  with  hearing;  but  now  the 
odor  of  Russia  goes  through  the  wide  world  in  visi- 
ble seeming,  runs  to  one's  nose.  Where  dost  thou 
hold  thy  way,  beautiful  maiden?  Art  flying  from 
labor,  or  seekest  labor?" 

"  Oh,  grandmother  dear,  I  had  Bright  Finist  the 
Falcon  of  Flowery  Feathers ;  my  sisters  did  harm  him  ! 
Now  I  am  seeking  for  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon." 

"  Oh,  my  child,  thou  hast  far  to  go ;  thrice  nine 
lands  must  yet  be  passed !  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon 
of  Flowery  Feathers  lives  in  the  fiftieth  kingdom  in 
the  eightieth  land,  and  is  now  betrothed  to  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  Tsar." 

The  Baba-Yaga  nourished  and  fed  the  maiden  with 
what  God  had  sent,  and  put  her  to  bed.  Next  morn- 
ing, when  the  light  was  just  coming,  she  roused  her, 
gave  her  a  present  for  the  road,  —  a  small  golden 
hammer  and  ten  little  diamond  nails,  —  and  said : 
"  When  thou  comest  to  the  blue  sea,  the  bride  of 
Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  will  come  out  on  the  shore 
to  walk;  take  the  golden  hammer  and  drive  the  dia- 
mond nails.  She  will  try  to  buy  them  of  thee;  but, 
beautiful  maiden,  take  no  pay,  only  ask  to  see  Bright 


54         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Finist  the  Falcon.  Now  go,  with  God,  to  my  second 
sister." 

Again  the  fair  maiden  goes  through  the  dark  for- 
est, goes  farther  and  farther;  the  forest  is  darker 
and  deeper,  the  tree-tops  wind  up  to  the  sky.  Now 
almost  the  second  pair  of  shoes  are  trodden  out,  the 
second  cap  worn  away,  the  second  iron  staff  break- 
ing, the  iron  cake  gnawed  away;  before  the  maiden 
is  an  iron  hut  on  hen's  legs,  and  it  turns  without 
ceasing. 

"  Hut,  oh,  hut !  "  said  she,  "  stop  with  thy  back  to 
the  trees  and  thy  front  to  me,  so  that  I  may  creep  in 
and  eat." 

The  hut  turned  its  back  to  the  trees  and  its  front 
to  the  maiden.  She  entered.  In  the  hut  lay  a  Baba- 
Yaga  from  corner  to  corner,  her  lips  on  the  cross- 
piece,  her  nose  in  the  loft. 

"  Tfu-tfu-tfu  !  in  former  days  nothing  of  Russia  was 
seen  with  sight  or  heard  with  hearing ;  but  now  the 
odor  of  Russia  goes  through  the  wide  world.  Whither 
dost  hold  thy  way,  fair  maiden  ?  " 

"  Grandmother,  dear,  I  am  seeking  Bright  Finist 
the  Falcon." 

"  Oh !  he  is  going  to  marry ;  they  have  the  maiden's 
party  to-night,"  said  the  Baba-Yaga. 

She  gave  her  to  eat  and  drink,  and  put  the  maiden 
to  sleep.  At  daybreak  next  morning  she  roused  her, 
gave  her  a  golden  plate  with  a  diamond  ball,  and 
enjoined  on  her  most  firmly,  "When  thou  comest 


The  Feather  of  Bright  Finist.          55 

to  the  shore  of  the  blue  sea,  roll  the  diamond  ball 
on  the  golden  plate.  The  bride  of  Bright  Finist  the 
Falcon  of  Flowery  Feathers  will  try  to  buy  the  plate 
and  ball;  but  take  nothing  for  it,  only  ask  to  see 
Bright  Finist  the  Falcon.  Now  go,  with  God,  to  my 
eldest  sister." 

Again  the  fair  maiden  goes  through  the  dark  for- 
est, goes  farther  and  farther ;  the  forest  grows  darker 
and  deeper.  Now  are  the  third  pair  of  shoes  almost 
trodden  out,  the  third  cap  is  wearing  off,  the  third 
staff  is  breaking,  and  the  last  cake  is  gnawed  away. 
On  hen's  legs  stands  an  iron  hut  and  turns  about. 

"  Hut,  oh,  hut !  "  cried  she,  "  stand  with  thy  back  to 
the  trees  and  thy  face  to  me;  I  must  creep  in  and 
eat  bread." 

The  hut  turned.  In  the  hut  lay  another  Baba- 
Yaga  from  corner  to  corner,  her  lips  on  the  cross- 
piece,  her  nose  in  the  loft. 

"  Tfu-tfu-tfu  !  in  former  times  nothing  of  Russia  was 
seen  with  sight  nor  heard  with  hearing;  but  now  the 
odor  of  Russia  goes  through  the  wide  world.  Where, 
beautiful  maiden,  dost  thou  hold  thy  way?  " 

"  Grandmother,  dear,  I  am  seeking  Bright  Finist 
the  Falcon." 

"  Oh,  fair  maiden,  he  has  married  a  Tsar's  daugh- 
ter !  Here  is  my  swift  steed ;  sit  on  him,  and  go,  with 
God." 

The  maiden  sat  on  the  steed  and  shot  away  farther. 
The  forest  grew  thinner  and  thinner. 


56         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Behold,  the  blue  sea  is  before  her;  broad  and 
roomy  is  it  spread,  and  there  in  the  distance,  like 
fire,  burn  the  golden  summits  above  the  lofty,  white- 
walled  chambers.  That  is  the  kingdom  of  Bright 
Finist  the  Falcon.  She  sat  then  on  the  movable 
sand  of  the  shore,  and  hammered  with  hammer  the 
diamond  nails.  All  at  once  the  Tsar's  daughter  goes 
with  her  nurses  and  maidens  and  trusty  serving- 
women  along  the  shore ;  she  stops,  and  wants  to  buy 
.the  diamond  nails  and  the  golden  hammer. 

"  Tsar's  daughter,  let  me  but  look  at  Bright  Finist 
ithe  Falcon,  I  will  give  them  for  nothing,"  answered 
ithe  maiden. 

"Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  is  sleeping  at  present, 
.and  has  ordered  that  none  be  admitted ;  but  give  me 
thy  beautiful  nails  and  hammer,  I  will  show  him  to 
thee." 

She  took  the  hammer  and  nails,  ran  to  the  palace, 
stuck  into  the  clothes  of  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  a 
magic  pin,  so  that  he  should  sleep  more  soundly  and 
.not  wake ;  then  she  commanded  her  nurses  to  con- 
duct the  beautiful  maiden  through  the  palace  to  her 
.husband,  and  went  herself  to  walk. 

Long  did  the  maiden  struggle,  long  did  she  weep 
over  her  dear  one ;  she  could  not  wake  him  in  any 
way.  When  she  had  walked  to  her  pleasure,  the 
Tsar's  daughter  came  home,  drove  her  away,  and 
pulled  out  the  pin. 

Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  woke.     "  Oh,  how  long  I 


The  Feather  of  Bright  Finis t.  57 

have  slept !  Some  one  was  here,"  said  he,  "  and  wept 
over  me  all  the  time,  talking  the  while ;  but  I  could 
not  open  my  eyes,  I  felt  so  heavy." 

"Thou  wast  only  dreaming,"  said  the  Tsar's  daugh- 
ter; "  no  one  was  here." 

Next  day  the  beautiful  maiden  sat  again  on  the 
shore  of  the  blue  sea,  and  was  rolling  a  diamond  ball 
on  a  golden  plate. 

The  Tsar's  daughter  went  out  to  walk;  she  saw 
them,  and  said,  "  Sell  them  to  me." 

"  Let  me  look  at  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon,  and  I 
will  give  them  for  nothing." 

The  Tsar's  daughter  agreed,  and  again  she  pierced 
the  clothes  of  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  with  a  magic 
pin.  Again  the  fair  maiden  wept  bitterly  over  her 
dear  one,  but  could  not  rouse  him. 

The  third  day  she  sat  on  the  shore  of  the  blue  sea, 
so  sad  and  sorrowful,  she  was  feeding  her  steed  with 
glowing  coals.  The  Tsar's  daughter,  seeing  that  the 
steed  was  eating  fire,  wanted  to  buy  him. 

"  Let  me  look  on  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon,  and  I  '11 
give  the  steed  for  nothing." 

The  Tsar's  daughter  agreed,  ran  to  the  palace,  and 
said  to  her  husband,  "Let  me  look  in  thy  head." 
She  sat  down  to  look  in  his  head,  and  stuck  the  pin 
in  his  hair;  straightway  he  was  in  a  deep  sleep. 
Then  she  sent  her  nurses  for  the  beautiful  maiden. 

The  fair  maiden  came,  tried  to  wake  her  dear, 
embraced  him  and  kissed  him,  crying  bitterly,  bit- 


58         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

terly  herself;  he  wakes  not.  Then  she  began  to  look 
in  his  head,  and  out  fell  the  magic  pin. 

Bright  Finist  the  Falcon  woke  all  at  once ;  he  saw 
the  fair  maiden  and  was  glad.  She  told  him  every- 
thing as  it  was,  —  how  her  malicious  sisters  had  envied 
her,  how  she  had  wandered,  and  how  she  had  ex- 
changed with  the  Tsar's  daughter.  He  loved  her 
more  than  before,  kissed  her  on  the  sweet  lips,  and 
gave  command  to  call  without  delay  boyars,  princes, 
and  people  of  every  degree.  Then  he  asked:  "What 
is  your  judgment :  with  which  wife  should  I  spend  my 
life, — with  her  who  sold  me,  or  her  who  bought  me?" 

All  the  boyars,  princes,  and  people  of  each  degree 
decided  in  one  voice  to  take  the  woman  who  had 
bought  him ;  but  the  one  who  had  sold  him,  to  hang 
on  the  gate  and  shoot  her.  Bright  Finist  the  Falcon 
of  Flowery  Feathers  did  this. 


THE  PIG  WITH  GOLD  BRISTLES,  THE  DEER  WITH 
GOLDEN  HORNS,  AND  THE  GOLDEN-MANED 
STEED  WITH  GOLDEN  TAIL. 

THERE  lived  a  Tsar,  and  he  had  a  daughter, 
Tsarevna,  Priceless  Beauty,  not  to  be  told  of 
in  a  tale  nor  described  with  a  pen.  The  Tsar  issued 
a  call  throughout  all  towns  that  whoever  would  kiss 
the  Tsarevna  through  twelve  windows,  no  matter  of 
what  stock  he  might  be,  he  would  get  the  Tsarevna 
for  wife,  and  receive  half  the  kingdom. 

In  this  kingdom  lived  a  merchant,  and  he  had 
three  sons ;  the  two  elder  were  crafty,  and  the  third, 
the  youngest,  was  a  simpleton.  Well,  the  elder 
brothers  said,  "Father,  we  will  go  to  get  the 
Tsarevna." 

"  Go,  with  God,"  said  the  merchant. 

They  took  the  very  best  horses  and  began  to  make 
ready  for  the  road.  The  fool  also  was  preparing. 

"Where  art  thou  going,  fool?  How  couldst  thou 
kiss  the  Tsarevna? "  and  they  laughed  at  him  in 
every  manner. 

They  went  away,  and  the  simpleton  dragged  along 
after  them  on  a  poor  mangy  little  horse.  He  went 
into  the  field,  and  he  cried  with  a  shrill  voice :  "  Oh, 


60         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

blue-brown,  cunning  bay,  stand  before  me  as  leaf 
before  stem !  " 

Wherever  he  came  from,  a  splendid  steed  rushed 
up ;  the  ground  trembled.  The  simpleton  crept  into 
one  ear  of  the  steed  and  out  of  the  other,  and  became 
such  a  beauty  as  had  never  been  seen  nor  heard  of. 
He  sat  on  the  horse,  and  rode  to  the  Tsar's  palace ; 
and  when  he  rushed  up  he  broke  six  panes  of  glass. 

All  were  astonished,  and  cried,  "Who  is  that? 
Seize  him,  hold  him !  " 

But  his  trace  was  cold.  He  rode  away  into  the 
field,  crept  into  one  ear  of  his  steed,  out  of  the  other, 
and  became  just  such  a  simpleton  as  before ;  he  sat 
on  his  wretched  horse,  rode  home,  and  lay  on  the 
stove. 

His  brothers  came  back  and  said :  "  Well,  father, 
there  was  a  hero,  —  such  a  hero  !  He  broke  through 
six  glasses  at  once." 

The  simpleton  from  the  stove  cried  out :  "  Ah, 
brothers,  was  not  that  I?" 

"  Thou  dunce !  how  couldst  thou  do  it ;  how  couldst 
thou  get  the  Tsarevna?  Thou  art  not  worth  her  fin- 
ger nail." 

Next  day  the  brothers  prepared  again  to  go  to  the 
Tsar's  palace ;  the  simpleton  also  prepared.  "  What 
art  thou  going  for,  thou  dunce?"  laughed  the  broth- 
ers ;  "  thou  art  needed  there,  I  suppose !  " 

The  simpleton  went  again  on  his  mangy,  wretched 
little  horse  to  the  field,  and  cried  in  a  shrill  voice: 


The  Pig,  the  Deer,  and  the  Steed.       61 

"  Oh,  blue-brown,  cunning  bay,  stand  before  me  as 
leaf  before  stem  !  " 

The  steed  rushed,  the  ground  trembled,  the  sim- 
pleton crept  into  one  ear  of  the  steed  and  out  of  the 
other,  and  became  such  a  beauty  as  had  never  been 
seen  or  heard  of  before.  He  rushed  through  the 
Tsar's  court,  broke  all  the  twelve  windows,  and  kissed 
the  Tsarevna,  Priceless  Beauty.  She  put  a  mark 
straight  on  his  forehead. 

All  were  astonished,  and  cried :  "  Stop  him,  hold 
him!  Who  is  he?" 

But  his  trace  was  cold.  He  rode  out  to  the  field, 
crept  into  one  ear  and  out  of  the  other,  became  just 
such  a  simpleton  as  before,  came  home,  tied  a  rag 
around  his  forehead,  pretended  that  his  head  was 
aching,  and  lay  down  on  the  stove. 

His  brothers  returned  and  said :  "  Oh,  father,  there 
was  a  hero,  such  a  hero !  At  once  he  broke  all  twelve 
windows  and  kissed  the  Tsarevna." 

The  simpleton  cried  out  from  the  stove :  "  Ah, 
brothers,  was  it  not  I  ?  " 

"  Oh,  thou  dunce,  how  could  it  be?  " 

Meanwhile  the  Tsarevna  was  thinking  who  her 
bridegroom  could  be.  She  went  to  the  Tsar  and 
said :  "  Father,  let  me  bring  together  all  the  Tsars' 
sons,  kings'  sons,  nobles,  merchants,  and  peasants  to 
a  feast,  to  a  talk,  and  find  out  who  kissed  me."  The 
Tsar  permitted  her. 

Well,  the  whole  Christian  world  met.   The  Tsarevna 


62         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

herself  went  among  them  all,  entertained  all  with 
wine,  examined  to  see  if  she  could  find  the  mark  on 
any  man's  forehead.  She  went  to  each ;  at  last  she 
brought  wine  to  the  simpleton. 

"What  hast  thou  bound  up  there?"  asked  the 
Tsarevna. 

"  So,  nothing ;  my  head  aches,"  said  the  simpleton. 

"  Well,  then,  untie  it."  The  Tsarevna  unbound  his 
head,  recognized  the  mark,  and  grew  faint. 

The  Tsar  said  to  her,  "  It  is  impossible  to  change 
the  word  now;  it  has  to  be  so,: — be  his  wife." 

They  married  the  simpleton  and  the  Tsarevna. 
She  was  weeping  bitterly ;  her  two  sisters,  who  had 
married  Tsars'  sons,  were  laughing  at  her,  and  said : 
"  There  it  is ;  she  has  married  a  fool !  " 

Once  the  Tsar  called  all  his  sons-in-law  and  said : 
"  I  have  heard  that  in  such  a  state,  in  such  a  king- 
dom, there  is  a  wonder,  —  a  pig  with  gold  bristles. 
Is  it  not  possible  in  some  way  to  get  this  pig?  Try." 

Well,  the  two  crafty  sons-in-law  saddled  the  very 
best  horses,  sat  on  them,  and  rode  away. 

The  fool  took  from  the  stable  the  very  last  miser- 
able horse,  and  followed  his  brothers.  He  came  out 
into  an  open  field,  and  cried  with  a  shrill  voice: 
"  Come,  blue-brown,  cunning  bay,  stand  before  me 
as  leaf  before  stem ! "  Wherever  he  came  from, 
the  wondrous  horse  was  snorting  and  tearing  the 
ground  with  his  hoof.  The  simpleton  crawled  into 
one  ear  and  out  of  the  other. 


The  Pig,  the  Deer,  and  the  Steed.       63 

Wherever  they  came  from,  there  stood  before  him 
two  youths,  and  they  asked,  "  What  dost  thou  wish, 
what  is  thy  pleasure  ?  " 

"  To  have  a  tent  here,  and  in  the  tent  a  bed ;  beside 
the  tent  to  have  the  pig  with  gold  bristles  walking." 

All  was  done  in  a  moment.  The  tent  was  there,  in 
the  tent  a  bed;  on  the  bed  lay  the  simpleton,  but 
such  a  hero  that  no  one  could  know  him.  The  pig 
with  gold  bristles  was  walking  by  the  side  of  the  tent 
in  the  meadow. 

The  other  brothers-in-law  travelled  and  travelled ; 
nowhere  could  they  see  a  pig  with  gold  bristles.  On 
their  way  home  they  approached  the  tent  and  saw 
the  wonder.  "  Oh  !  here  is  where  the  pig  with  gold 
bristles  is  walking;  let  us  go,"  said  they,  "  and  what- 
ever must  be  given  we  will  give,  we  will  buy  the  pig 
and  please  our  father-in-law." 

They  went  to  the  tent  and  saluted  the  owner.  The 
simpleton  asked:  "  Where  are  ye  travelling?  what 
are  ye  looking  for?" 

"Wilt  thou  sell  us  the  pig  with  gold  bristles?  we 
are  looking  for  this  pig  a  long  time." 

"  No,  I  want  it  myself." 

"  Ask  what  will  please  thee,  but  sell." 

They  offered  him  a  thousand  for  the  pig,  and  two 
and  three  and  more ;  but  the  simpleton  would  not  con- 
sent. "  I  will  not  take  a  hundred  thousand,"  said  he. 

"  Oh,  let  us  have  him,  please ;  take  what  seems 
good  to  thee  !  " 


64         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Well,  ye  need  him  so  greatly,  I  will  give  him,  and 
will  not  take  much,  —  the  middle  toe  of  each  man's 
foot." 

They  thought  and  thought,  took  off  their  boots, 
and  each  man  cut  off  the  middle  toe  of  his  foot 
The  simpleton  took  the  toes,  hid  them,  and  gave 
the  pig  with  gold  bristles.  The  brothers-in-law  went 
home,  taking  the  pig  with  them. 

The  Tsar  was  so  glad  that  he  knew  not  what  to 
call  them,  where  to  seat  them,  or  what  to  give  them 
to  eat. 

"  Have  ye  seen  the  fool  ?  "  asked  the  Tsar. 

"  With  seeing  we  have  not  seen  him,  with  hearing 
we  have  not  heard." 

The  simpleton  crept  into  one  ear  of  his  horse,  out 
of  the  other,  and  became  just  such  a  fool  as  before. 
He  killed  his  horse,  took  off  his  skin,  and  put  it  on ; 
then  he  caught  magpies,  crows,  jackdaws,  and  spar- 
rows, tied  them  around  himself,  and  went  home.  He 
came  into  the  palace  and  let  all  his  birds  loose ;  they 
flew  around  on  every  side,  and  broke  nearly  all  the 
windows  of  the  palace. 

The  Tsarevna,  Priceless  Beauty,  covered  herself 
with  tears,  and  her  sisters  were  screaming  with  laugh- 
ter. "  Our  husbands,"  said  they,  "  brought  home  the 
pig  with  gold  bristles,  and  thy  fool  —  look,  if  it  please 
thee,  how  he  has  dressed  himself  as  a  monster  !  " 

The  Tsar  shouted  :  "  What  a  clown  !  I  '11  fix  him." 

Again  the  Tsar  called  his  sons-in-law.     "  My  dear 


The  Pig,  the  Deer,  and  the  Steed.       65 

sons-in-law,  I  have  heard  that  in  such  a  kingdom,  in 
such  a  land,  there  is  a  wonder,  —  a  deer  with  golden 
horns  and  a  golden  tail.  Can  ye  not  get  him  in 
any  way?" 

"  We  can,  your  Majesty." 

Now  the  two  crafty  sons-in-law  saddled  the  very 
best  horses  and  set  out. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Tsar  to  the  simpleton,  "  go  thou 
with  the  others." 

The  simpleton  took  from  the  stable  the  very  last 
miserable  horse  and  followed  his  brothers.  He  went 
out  in  the  open  field  and  cried  with  a  shrill  voice: 
"  Oh,  blue-brown,  cunning  bay,  stand  before  me  as 
leaf  before  stem."  Wherever  he  came  from,  the 
wonderful  horse  was  there,  snorting  and  tearing  the 
ground  with  his  hoofs.  The  simpleton  crept  in  one 
of  his  ears  and  out  of  the  other.  Wherever  they 
came  from,  two  young  men  stood  before  him  and 
asked:  "What  dost  thou  want?" 

"  I  want  a  tent  here,  in  the  tent  a  bed,  and  at  the 
side  of  the  tent  a  deer  with  golden  horns  and  a 
golden  tail." 

That  moment  the  tent  was  there,  in  the  tent  a  bed, 
on  the  bed  the  simpleton  stretched  himself,  —  such 
a  beauty  that  no  man  could  know  him ;  at  the  side 
of  the  tegt_walked  a  deer  with  golden  horns  and  a 
golden  tail. 

The  crafty  brothers  travelled  and  travelled.  No- 
where did  they  see  such  a  deer,  and  they  turned 

S 


66         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

to  come   home.     They  came  near  the  tent  and  saw 
the  wonder.  "  Oh,  this  is  where  the  deer  with  golden  . 
horns  and  a  golden  tail  is!     Let  us  go,"   said  they; 
"  whatever  must  be  given  we  '11  give,  buy  that  deer, 
and  please  our  father-in-law." 

They  came  up  and  saluted,  The  simpleton  asked  : 
"  Why  are  ye  travelling;  what  are  ye  seeking?  " 

"  Wilt  thou  sell  us  the  deer  with  golden  horns  and 
a  golden  tail?" 

"  No,  it  is  not  for  sale ;  I  want  it  myself." 

"  Ask  what  will  please  thee,  but  sell."  They  offered 
•one,  two,  three  thousand,  and  more.  The  simpleton 
-would  n't  listen  to  the  offers,  would  not  take  money. 

"  But  if  my  deer  has  pleased  you,  I  '11  sell  him,  if 
ye  like,  at  a  cheap  price, —  the  middle  finger  of  each 
man's  hand." 

They  thought  and  thought,  and  agreed.  They  took 
off  their  gloves  and  cut  off  the  middle  finger.  The 
simpleton  put  the  fingers  away  and  gave  the  deer. 

The  sons-in-law  came  home,  and  brought  the  deer 
with  golden  horns  and  a  golden  tail.  The  Tsar  from 
joy  knew  not  what  to  call  them,  where  to  seat  them, 
or  with  what  to  entertain  them. 

"Have  ye  seen  the  fool  anywhere?"  asked  the 
Tsar. 

"  With  seeing  we  have  not  seen  him,  with  hearing 
we  have  not  heard." 

The  simpleton  crept  into  one  ear  of  the  horse  and 
out  of  the  other,  and  became  just  such  a  simpleton  as 


The  Pig,  the  Deer,  and  the  Steed.       67 

he  had  been  before.  He  killed  his  wretched  horse, 
skinned  him,  and  put  on  the  skin ;  then  caught  a  lot 
of  jackdaws,  crows,  magpies,  and  sparrows,  tied  them 
around  himself,  and  went  home.  He  came  again  to 
the  palace,  and  let  out  the  birds  in  different  direc- 
tions ;  his  wife  was  sobbing,  and  her  sisters  were 
laughing.  "  Our  husbands,"  said  they,  "  brought 
home  the  deer  with  golden  horns  and  a  golden  tail, 
and  thy  fool  —  look  at  him !  " 

The  Tsar  shouted  at  the  fool :  "  What  an  ignorant 
lout !  "  and  he  gave  half  the  kingdom  to  his  crafty 
sons-in-law. 

The  third  time  the  Tsar  called  his  crafty  sons-in- 
law,  and  said :  "  My  dear  sons-in-law,  I  will  give  you 
the  whole  kingdom  if  ye  will  get  for  me  the  golden- 
maned  steed  with  golden  tail ;  I  have  heard  that  he  is 
in  such  a  kingdom  and  such  a  land." 

The  crafty  sons-in-law  saddled  the  very  best  horses 
and  went  on  their  journey. 

The  Tsar  sent  also  the  fool.   "  Well,  go  thou  too." 

The  simpleton  took  the  very  last  wretched  horse 
from  the  stable  and  followed  his  crafty  brothers.  He 
came  to  the  open  field  and  cried  with  a  shrill  voice : 
"  Oh,  blue-brown,  cunning  bay,  stand  before  me  as 
leaf  before  stem !  "  Wherever  he  came  from,  the 
marvellous  steed  was  snorting,  and  tearing  the  earth 
with  his  hoof.  Behold,  the  simpleton  crept  into  one 
ear  and  out  of  the  other,  and  became  such  a  beauty 
that  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  man  to  recognize  him. 


68         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Then,  wherever  they  came  from,  there  stood  before 
him  two  youths,  and  they  asked,  "What  dost  thou 
wish;  what  dost  thou  want?" 

"  I  want  a  tent  here,  in  the  tent  a  bed,  and  at  the  side 
of  the  tent  the  golden-maned  steed  with  golden  tail." 

That  minute  the  tent  was  made,  in  the  tent  a  bed. 
The  simpleton  stretched  himself  on  the  bed;  at  the 
side  of  the  tent  the  golden-maned  steed  with  golden 
tail  was  walking. 

The  crafty  sons-in-law  travelled  and  travelled  ;  no- 
where did  they  see  that  kind  of  steed,  and  were  on 
their  way  home.  They  drew  near  the  tent,  and  saw 
the  wonder. 

"  Oh,  here  is  the  place  where  the  golden-maned 
steed  with  golden  tail  is  walking.  Let  us  go  in,"  said 
they ;  "  we  will  give  whatever  they  ask,  and  buy  him 
to  please  our  father-in-law." 

The  simpleton  asked :  "  Whither  are  ye  travelling ; 
what  are  ye  seeking?  " 

"  Sell  us  the  golden-maned  steed  with  golden  tail." 

"  He  is  not  for  sale ;  I  want  him  myself." 

"  Ask  what  may  please  thee,  only  sell  him ;  "  and 
they  offered  one,  two,  three  thousand  and  more. 

"  I  would  not  take  a  hundred  thousand,"  said  the 
simpleton. 

"  Sell  him  to  us;  take  what  will  please  thee." 

"  Well,  if  ye  need  him  greatly,  I  will  give  him  to 
you;  I  will  not  take  a  high  price.  Let  me  cut  a 
strap  from  the  back  of  each  one  of  you." 


The  Pig,  the  Deer,  and  the  Steed.       69 

They  thought  and  thought,  struggled  and  strug- 
gled, wanted  the  horse  very  badly,  were  sorry  for 
themselves,  but  decided  at  last,  undressed,  and  took 
off  their  shirts.  The  simpleton  cut  from  the  back 
of  each  one  of  them  a  strap,  took  the  straps,  put 
them  away,  and  delivered  the  steed. 

The  sons-in-law  came  home  bringing  the  golden- 
maned  steed  with  golden  tail.  The  Tsar  from  de- 
light knew  not  what  to  call  them,  where  to  seat 
them,  or  how  to  entertain  them,  and  gave  them  the 
remaining  half  of  the  kingdom.  The  simpleton  crept 
into  one  ear  of  the  steed  and  out  of  the  other,  and 
became  what  he  had  been  before.  He  killed  his 
wretched  horse,  took  off  the  skin,  put  it  on  himself, 
caught  magpies,  crows,  jackdaws,  and  sparrows,,  tied 
them  around  himself,  came  to  the  palace,  and  let  out 
the  birds ;  they  flew  in  different  directions,  and  broke 
nearly  all  the  windows.  The  Tsarevna,  his  wife,  was 
crying,  and  her  sisters  were  laughing  at  her.  "Our 
husbands  have  brought  the  golden-maned  steed  with 
golden  tail ;  but  look  at  thy  fool  going  around  such 
a  fright!" 

The  Tsar  shouted  at  the  fool :  "  What  an  ignorant 
lout !  I  '11  have  thee  shot." 

And  the  simpleton  asked :  "  With  what  wilt  thou 
reward  me  ?  " 

"What  reward  shouldst  thou  have?"  asked  the 
Tsar. 

"  If  the  truth  must  be  told,  I  got  for  thee  the  pig 


70         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

with  gold  bristles,  the  deer  with  golden  horns  and  a 
golden  tail,  and  the  golden-maned  steed  with  golden 
tail." 

"  How  canst  thou  prove  that?  "  asked  the  Tsar. 

"  Command  thy  sons-in-law,  Gosudar,  to  take  off 
their  boots." 

The  sons-in-law  began  to  make  excuses ;  they  did  n't 
want  to  take  off  their  boots. 

"  Take  off  your  boots,"  urged  the  Tsar;  "  there  is 
no  harm  in  that." 

They  took  off  their  boots.  The  Tsar  looks :  one 
toe  is  missing. 

"  Here  are  their  toes,"  said  the  simpleton.  "  Order 
them  now  to  take  off  their  gloves." 

They  removed  their  gloves,  and  the  Tsar  saw  there 
was  a  finger  missing. 

"  Here  are  their  fingers,"  said  the  simpleton. 
"  Order  them  now  to  take  off  their  shirts." 

The  Tsar  saw  that  the  affair  was  coming  true, 
and  ordered  them  to  undress.  They  took  off  their 
shirts,  and  the  Tsar  saw  that  each  one  of  them  had 
a  strap  cut  from  his  back  the  width  of  two  fingers. 

"  Here  are  the  straps,"  said  the  simpleton ;  and  told 
the  whole  story  as  it  was. 

The  Tsar  did  n't  know  how  to  entertain  him,  nor 
how  to  reward  him.  He  gave  him  the  whole  king- 
dom, and  the  other  sons-in-law,  because  they  had 
deceived  him,  he  had  shot. 

The  simpleton  went  to  the  open  field  and  cried 


The  Pig,  the  Deer,  and  the  Steed.       71 

with  a  shrill  voice :  "  Oh,  blue-brown,  cunning  bay, 
stand  before  me  as  leaf  before  stem !  "  The  horse 
ran,  the  ground  trembled,  the  simpleton  crept  into 
one  ear  of  the  steed  and  out  of  the  other,  and 
became  a  hero  and  a  beauty. 

He  came  home,  began  to  live  with  his  Tsarevna 
and  win  wealth. 


WATER  OF  YOUTH,  WATER  OF  LIFE,  AND 
WATER  OF  DEATH. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom  in  a  certain  land  there  lived 
a  Tsar ;  that  Tsar  had  three  _sons,  —  two  crafty, 
and  the  third  simple.  Somehow  the  Tsar  had  a 
dream  that  beyond  the  thrice  ninth  land,  in  the  thir- 
tieth kingdom,  there  was  a  beautiful  maiden,  from 
whose  hands  and  feet  water  was  flowing,  that  who- 
ever would  drink  that  water  would  become  thirty 
years  younger.  The  Tsar  was  very  old.  He  sum- 
moned his  sons  and  counsellors,  and  asked :  "  Can 
anyone  explain  my  dream?" 

The  counsellors  answered  the  Tsar :  "  We  have 
not  seen  with  sight  nor  heard  with  hearing  of  such 
a  beautiful  maiden,  and  how  to  go  to  her  is  un- 
known to  us." 

Now  the  eldest  son,  Dmitri  Tsarevich,  spoke  up : 
"  Father,  give  me  thy  blessing  to  go  in  all  four  direc- 
tions, look  at  people,  show  myself,  and  make  search 
for  the  beautiful  maiden." 

The  Tsar  gave  his  parental  blessing.  "  Take,"  said 
he,  "  treasure  as  much  as  thou  wishest,  and  all  kinds 
of  troops  as  many  as  are  necessary." 

Dmitri  Tsarevich  took  one  hundred  thousand 
men  and  set  out  on  the  road,  on  the  journey.  He 


Waters  of  Youth,  Life,  and  Death.      73 

,  rode  a  day,  he  rode  a  week,  he  rode  a  month,  and 
two  and  three  months.  No  matter  whom  he  asked, 
no  one  knew  of  the  beautiful  maiden,  and  he  came  to 
such  desert  places  that  there  were  only  heaven  and 
earth.  He  urged  his  horse  on,  and  behold  before 
him  is  a  lofty  mountain ;  he  could  not  see  the  top 
with  his  eyes.  Somehow  he  climbed  the  mountain 
and  found  there  an  ancient,  a  gray  old  man. 

"  Hail,  grandfather !  " 

"  Hail,  brave  youth !  Art  fleeing  from  labor,  or 
seekest  thou  labor?" 

"  I  am  seeking  labor." 

"  What  dost  thou  need?" 

"  I  have  heard  that  beyond  the  thrice  ninth  land, 
in  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  is  a  beautiful  maiden,  from 
whose  hands  and  feet  healing  water  flows,  and  that 
whoever  gets  and  drinks  this  water  will  r  row  thirty 
years  younger." 

"  Well,  brother,  thou  canst  not  go  there." 

"  Why  not?" 

"  Because  there  are  three  broad  rivers  on  the  road, 
and  on  these  rivers  three  ferries:  at  the  first  ferry 
they  will  cut  off  thy  right  hand,  at  the  second  thy 
left  foot,  at  the  third  they  will  take  thy  head." 

Dmitri  Tsarevich  was  grieved ;  he  hung  his  stormy 
head  below  his  shoulders,  and  thought:  "  Must  I  spare 
my  father's  head?  Must  I  spare  my  own?  I'll  turn 
back." 

He  came  down  from  the  mountain,  went  back  to 


74         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

his  father,  and  said :  "  No,  father,  I  have  not  been 
able  to  find  her;  there  is  nothing  to  be  heard  of 
that  maiden." 

The  second  son,  Vassili  Tsarevich,  began  to  beg : 
" Father,  give  me  thy  blessing;  perhaps  I  can  find 
her." 

"  Go,  my  son." 

Vassili  Tsarevich  took  one  hundred  thousand  men, 
and  set  out  on  his  road,  on  his  journey.  He  rode  a 
day,  he  rode  a  week,  he  rode  a  month,  and  two,  and 
three,  and  entered  such  places  that  there  was  nothing 
but  forests  and  swamps.  He  found  there  Baba-Yaga, 
boneleg.  "  Hail,  Baba-Yaga,  boneleg !  " 

"  Hail,  brave  youth  !  Art  thou  fleeing  from  labor, 
or  seekest  labor?  " 

"I  am  seeking  labor.  I  have  heard  that  beyond 
the  thrice  ninth  land,  in  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  is  a 
beautiful  maiden,  from  whose  feet  and  hands  heal- 
ing water  flows." 

"  There  is,  father ;  only  thou  canst  not  go  there." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  on  the  road  there  are  three  ferries :  at  the 
first  ferry  they  will  cut  off  thy  right  hand,  at  the 
second  thy  left  foot,  at  the  third  off  with  thy  head." 

"  It  is  not  a  question  of  saving  my  father's  head, 
but  sparing  my  own." 

He  returned,  and  said  to  his  father:  "No,  father, 
I  could  not  find  her;  there  is  nothing  to  be  heard 
of  that  maiden." 


Waters  of  Youth,  Life,  and  Death.       75 

The  youngest  son,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  began  to  beg : 
"Give  me  thy  blessing,  father;  maybe  I  shall  find 
her." 

The  father  gave  him  his  blessing.  "  Go,  my  dear 
son;  take  troops  and  treasure  all  that  are  needed." 

"  I  need  nothing,  only  give  me  a  good  steed  and 
the  sword  Kladyenets." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  mounted  his  steed,  took  the  sword 
Kladyenets,  and  set  out  on  his  way,  on  his  journey. 
He  rode  a  day,  he  rode  a  week,  he  rode  a  month, 
and  two  and  three;  and  rode  into  such  places  that 
his  horse  was  to  the  knees  in  water,  to  the  breast  in 
grass,  and  he,  good  youth,  had  nothing  to  eat.  He 
saw  a  cabin  on  hen's  feet,  and  entered:  inside  sat 
Baba-Yaga,  boneleg. 

"  Hail,  grandmother !  " 

"  Hail,  Ivan  Tsarevich  !  Art  flying  from  labor,  or 
seekest  labor?  " 

"What  labor?  I  am  going  to  the  thirtieth  king- 
dom ;  there,  it  is  said,  lives  a  beautiful  maiden,  from 
whose  hands  and  feet  healing  water  flows." 

"There  is,  father;  though  with  sight  I  have  not 
seen  her,  with  hearing  I  have  heard  of  her:  but  to 
her  it  is  not  for  thee  to  go." 

"Why  so?" 

"  Because  there  are  three  ferries  on  the  way:  at  the 
first  ferry  they  will  cut  off  thy  right  hand,  at  the 
second  thy  left  foot,  at  the  third  off  with  thy  head." 

"  Well,  grandmother,  one  head  is  not  much ;  I  will 
go,  whatever  God  gives.0 


76         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Ah !  Ivan  Tsarevich,  better  turn  back ;  them  art 
still  a  green  youth,  hast  never  been  in  places  of  dan- 
ger, hast  not  seen  great  terror." 

"  No,"  said  Ivan ;  "  if  thou  seizest  the  rope,  don't 
say  thou  art  not  strong."  He  took  farewell  of  Baba- 
Yaga  and  went  farther. 

He  rode  a  day,  a  second,  and  a  third,  and  came  to 

the  first  ferry:   the  ferrymen  were  sleeping  on  the 
v 

opposite  bank.    "  What  is  to  be  done?  "  thought  Ivan. 

"  If  I  shout,  they  '11  be  deaf  for  the  rest  of  their  lives ; 
if  I  whistle,  I  shall  sink  the  ferry-boat."     He  whistled 
a  half  whistle.     The  ferrymen  sprang  up  that  minute 
,    and  ferried  him  across  the  river. 

"  What  is  the  price  of  your  work,  brothers?  " 
"  Give  us  thy  right  hand." 

"  Oh,  I  want  that  for  myself! "  Then  Ivan  Tsarevich 
struck  with  his  sword  on  the  right,  and  on  the  left. 
He  cut  down  all  the  ferrymen,  mounted  his  horse,  and 
galloped  ahead.  At  the  two  other  ferries  he  got 
away  in  the  same  fashion.  He  was  drawing  near 
the  thirtieth  kingdom.  On  the  boundary  stood  a  wild 
man,  in  stature  tall  as  a  forest,  in  thickness  the  equal 
of  a  great  stack  of  hay;  he  held  in  his  hands  an 
enormous  oak-tree. 

"  Oh,  worm !  "  said  the  giant  to  Ivan  Tsarevich, 
"  whither  art  thou  riding?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  the  thirtieth  kingdom ;  I  want  to 
see  the  beautiful  maiden  from  whose  hands  and  feet 
healing  water  flows." 

"How  couldst  thou,  little  pigmy,  go  there?  I  am 


Waters  of  Youth,  Life,  and  Death.      77 

a  hundred  years  guarding  her  kingdom,  great,  mighty 
heroes  came  here,  —  not  the  like  of  thee,  — and  they 
fell  from  my  strong  hand.  What  art  thou?  Just  a 
little  worm !  " 

V  ^***^ 

Ivan  Tsarevich  saw  that  he  could  not  manage  the 
giant,  and  he  turned  aside.  He  travelled  and  travelled 
till  he  came  to  a  sleeping  forest;  in  the  forest  was  a 
cabin,  and  in  the  cabin  an  old,  arroieji^Ycupan  was  sit- 
ting.' She  saw  the  good  youth,  and  said:  "  Hail,  Ivan 
Tsarevich !  Why  has  God  brought  thee  hither?" 

He  told  her  all  without  concealment.  The  old 
woman  gave  him  magic  herbs  and  a  ball. 

"  Go  out,"  said  she,  "  into  the  open  field,  make  a 
fire,  and  throw  these  herbs  on  it;  but  take  care  to 
stand  on  the  windward.  From  these  magic  herbs  the 
giant  will  sleep  a  deep  sleep ;  cut  his  head  off,  then 
let  the  ball  roll,  and  follow.  The  ball  will  take  thee 
to  those  regions  where  the  beautiful  maiden  reigns. 
She  lives  in  a  great  golden  castle,  and  often  rides  out 
with  her  army  to  the  green  meadows  to  amuse  her- 
self. Nine  days  does  she  stay  there ;  then  sleeps  a 
hero's  sleep  nine  days  and  nine  nights." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  thanked  the  old  woman  and  went 
to  the  open  field,  where  he  made  a  fire  and  threw  into 
it  the  magic  herbs.  The  stormy  wind  bore  the  smoke 
to  where  the  wild  man  was  standing  on  guard.  It 
grew  dim  in  his  eyes ;  he  lay  on  the  damp  earth  and 
fell  soundly  asleep.  Ivan  Tsarevich  cut  off  his  head, 
let  the  ball  roll,  and  rode  on.  He  travelled  and 


78          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

travelled  till  the  golden  palace  was  visible ;  then  he 
turned  from  the  road,  let  his  horse  out  to  feed,  and 
ucrept  into  a  thicket  himself.     He   had  just  hidden, 
when  dust  was  rising  in  a  column  from  the  front  of 
|  the  palace:  the  beautiful  maiden  rode  out  with  her 
army  to  amuse  herself  in  the  green  meadows.     The 
f  Tsarevich  saw  that  the  whole  army  was  formed  of 
maidens    alone.     One   was    beautiful,    the  next  sur- 
passed that  one ;   fairer  than  all,  and  beyond  admira- 
tion was  the  Tsarevna  herself. 

Nine  days  was  she  sporting  in  the  green  meadows, 

and  the  Tsarevich  did  not  take  his  eyes  from  her, 

I     still  he  could  not  gaze  his  fill.     On  the  tenth  day  he 

went  to  the   golden  palace.     The  beautiful  maiden 

i   was  lying  on   a  couch   of  down,  sleeping  a  hero's 

|    sleep;   from  her  hands  and    feet  healing  water  was 

flowing.      At   the    same   time  her  trusty  army  was 

sleeping  as  well. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  took  a  flask  of  the  healing  water. 
His  heroic  heart  could  not  withstand  her  maiden 
beauty.  He  tarried  awhile,  then  left  the  palace, 
mounted  his  good  steed,  and  rushed  toward  home. 

Nine  days  slept  the  beautiful  maiden,  and  when  she 
woke  her  rage  was  dreadful.  She  stamped,  she 
screamed  with  a  piercing  voice :  "  What  wretch  has 
been  here?"  she  sprang  on  to  her  fleet-flying  mare, 
and  struck  into  a  chase  after  Ivan  Tsarevich.  The 
mare  races,  the  ground  trembles;  she  caught  up 
with  the  good  hero,  struck  him  with  her  sword,  and 


Waters  of  Youth,  Life,  and  Death.      79 

straight  in  the  breast  did  she  strike.      The  Tsarevich 
fell  on  the  damp  earth :  his  bright  eyes  close,  his  red 
blood  stiffens.     The  fair  maiden  looked  at  him,  and 
great   pity   seized   her;    through    the    whole   world 
might  she  search,  and  not  find  such  a  beauty.     She 
placed  her  white  hand  on  his  wound,  moistened  it 
with  healing  water.     All  at  once  the  wound  closed, 
and  Ivan  Tsarevich  rose  up  unharmed. 
"  Wilt  thou  take  me  as  wife?  "  asked  she. 
"  I  will,  beautiful  maiden." 
"  Well,  go  home,  and  wait  three  years." 
Ivan  Tsarevich  took  farewell  of  his  betrothed  bride 
and  continued  his  journey.     He  was  drawing  near 
his  own  kingdom ;   but  his  elder  brothers  had  put 
guards  everywhere,  so  as  not  to  let  him  come  near 
his  father.     The  guards  gave  notice  at  once  that  Ivan 
Tsarevich  was  coming.     The  elder  brothers  met  him 
on  the  road,  drugged  him,  took  the  flask  of  healing 
water,  and  threw  him  into  a  deep  pit.     Ivan  Tsarevich 
came  out  in  the  underground  kingdom. 

He  travelled  and  travelled  in  the  underground  king- 
dom.    When   he   came  to   a  certain  place,  a  great 
storm  rose  up,  lightning  flashed,  thunder  roared,  rain 
fell.     He  went  to  a  tree  to  find  shelter ;  looked  up,    J 
and  saw  young  birds  in  that  tree  all  wet.    He  took 
off  his  coat,  covered  them,  and  sat  himself  under  the    ' 
tree. 

When  the  old  bird  flew  to  the  tree,  she  was  so 
large  that  she  hid  the  light,  and  it  grew  dark  as  if 


8o         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

night  were  near.  When  she  saw  her  young  covered, 
she  asked:  "Who  has  protected  my  little  birds?" 
Then,  seeing  the  Tsarevich,  she  said :  "  It  is  thou 
[  who  didst  this;  God  save  thee!  Whatever  thou 
wishest,  ask  of  me ;  I  will  do  everything  for  thee." 

He  said,  "  Bear  me  out  into  the  upper  world." 

"  Make  ready,"  said  the  bird,  "  a  double  box.  Fill 
one  half  of  it  with  every  kind  of  game,  and  in  the 
other  half  put  water,  so  as  to  have  something  with 
which  to  nourish  me." 

The  Tsarevich  did  all  that  was  asked.  The  bird 
took  the  box  on  her  back,  and  the  Tsarevich  sat  in 
the  middle.  She  flew  up ;  and  whether  it  was  long 
or  short,  she  bore  him  to  this  upper  world,  took  fare- 
well of  him,  and  flew  home. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  to  his  father ;  but  the  old  Tsar 
did  not  like  him  by  reason  of  the  lies  which  his 
brothers  had  told,  and  sent  him  into  exile.  For 
three  whole  years  Ivan  wandered  from  place  to 
place.  When  three  years  had  passed,  the  beautiful 
maiden  sailed  in  a  ship  to  the  capital  town  of  Ivan 

?Tsarevich's  father.  She  sent  a  letter  to  the  Tsar, 
demanding  the  man  who  had  stolen  the  water,  and 
if  he  refused  she  would  burn  and  destroy  his  kingdom 
utterly. 

The  Tsar  sent  his  eldest  son;  he  went  to  the  ship. 
Two  little  boys,  grandsons  of  the  Tsar,  saw  him,  and 
asked  their  mother:  "  Is  that  our  father?  " 
"No,  that  is  your  uncle." 


Waters  of  Youth,  Life,  and  Death.      81 

"  How  shall  we  meet  him?  " 

"  Take  each  one  a  whip  and  flog  him  back  home." 

The  eldest  Tsarevich  returned,  looking  as  if  he  had 
eaten  something  unsalted. 

The  maiden  continued  her  threats,  demanded  the 
guilty  man.  The  Tsar  sent  his  second  son,  and 
the  same  thing  happened  to  him  as  to  the  eldest. 
Now  the  Tsar  gave  command  to  find  the  youngest 
Tsarevich. 

When  the  Tsarevich  was  found,  his  father  wished 
him  to  go  on  the  ship  to  the  maiden.  But  he  said  : 
"  I  will  go  when  a  crystal  bridge  is  built  to  the  ship, 
and  on  the  bridge  there  shall  be  many  kinds  of  food 
and  wine  set  'out." 

There  was  no  help  for  it;  they  built  the  bridge, 
prepared  the  food,  brought  wines  and  meat. 

The  Tsarevich  collected  his  comrades.  "Come 
with  me,  attend  me,"  said  he ;  "  eat  ye  and  drink, 
spare  nothing." 

While  he  was  walking  on  the  bridge  the  little  boys 
cried  out:  "  Mother,  who  is  that?" 

"  That  is  your  father." 

"  How  shall  we  meet  him?  " 

"  Take  him  by  the  hands  and  lead  him  to  me." 

They  did  so;  there  was  kissing  and  embracing. 
After  that  they  went  to  the  Tsar,  told  him  all  just  as 
it  ^had  been.  The  Tsar  drove  his  eldest  sons  from 
the  castle,  and  lived  with  Ivan,  —  lived  on  and  gained 
wealth. 

6 


THE 
FOOTLESS   AND   BLIND   CHAMPIONS. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom,  in  a  certain  land,  there  lived 
a  Tsar  with  his  Tsaritsa.  They  had  a  son,  Ivan 
Tsarevich,  and  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap  was  ap- 
pointed tutor  to  care  for  and  guard  Ivan. 

The  Tsar  and  Tsaritsa  attained  to  ancient  years, 
fell  ill,  and  had  no  thought  to  recover.  They  sum- 
moned Ivan  Tsarevich  and  said :  "  When  we  die,  do 
thou  obey  in  all  things  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap  and 
honor  him.  If  thou  obeyest  him,  thou  'It  be  happy; 
but  if  disobedient,  thou  wilt  perish  like  a  fly." 

Next  day  the  Tsar  and  Tsaritsa  died.  Ivan  buried 
his  parents  and  lived  according  to  their  command : 
whatever  he  did,  he  always  held  counsel  with  his 
tutor.  Whether  it  was  long  or  short,  the  Tsarevich 
grew  to  years  of  manhood  and  thought  of  marrying. 
He  came  to  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap  and  said :  "  I 
feel  dreary  alone ;  I  wish  to  marry." 

"Well,  Tsarevich,  where  is  the  halt?  Thy  years 
are  such  that  it  is  time  to  think  of  a  bride.  Go  to  the 
great  chamber,  —  there  the  portraits  of  all  Tsars' 
daughters  and  all  kings'  daughters  are  collected. 
Look  at  them  and  choose ;  if  any  please  thee,  pro- 
pose for  that  one." 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.      83 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  to  the  great  chamber,  exam- 
ined the  portraits ;  and  Princess  Anna  the  Beautiful 
suited  his  mind,  —  such  a  beauty  that  in  the  whole 
world  there  was  not  her  equal.  Under  her  portrait 
was  written  that  if  any  man  gave  her  a  riddle  and 
she  could  not  solve  it,  she  would  marry  the  man ;  and 
whose  riddle  she  solved,  off  went  his  head.  Ivan 
Tsarevich  read  this  inscription,  grew  very  sorrowful, 
and  went  to  his  uncle.  "  I  have  been,"  said  he,  "  in  the 
great  chamber,  and  have  found  for  myself  a  bride, — 
Anna  the  Beautiful ;  but  I  know  not  how  to  get  her." 

"  Yes,  Tsarevich,  it  is  difficult  to  win  her.  If  thou 
go  alone,  thou  wilt  never  succeed ;  but  if  thou  take 
me  and  will  do  what  I  say,  perhaps  the  affair  may  be 
settled." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  begged  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap 
to  go  with  him,  and  gave  his  faithful  word  to  obey  him 
in  sorrow  and  in  joy. 

They  prepared  for  the  road  and  the  journey,  and 
went  to  ask  Princess  Anna  the  Beautiful  in  marriage. 
They  travelled  one  year,  travelled  a  second,  then  a 
third,  and  passed  over  many  lands.  Ivan  Tsarevich' 
said :  "  Uncle,  we  are  travelling  now  so  long  a  time, 
are  nearing  the  land  of  Anna  the  Beautiful,  and  we 
know  not  what  riddle  to  give  her." 

"  Oh,  we  will  think  of  one  yet." 

They  went  farther.  Uncle  Katoma  looked  on  the 
road,  and  there  was  lying  a  purse  with  gold.  He 
took  it  up,  poured  all  the  money  out  of  it  into  his 


84         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

own  purse,  and  said :  "  Here  is  the  riddle,  Ivan 
Tsarevich.  When  thou  comest  to  the  princess,  give 
her  the  riddle  in  these  words :  *  We  were  travelling 
along,  and  we  saw  good  lying  on  the  road.  We  took 
good  with  good  and  put  it  in  our  good.'  She  '11 
not  solve  that  riddle  all  her  life;  and  every  other 
one  she  would  know  in  a  moment, —  she  would  just 
look  into  her  magic  book,  and  as  soon  as  she  knew 
the  riddle  she  would  have  thy  head  cut  off." 

Well,  Ivan  Tsarevich  with  his  uncle  came  at  last 
to  the  lofty  palace  where  the  beautiful  princess  was 
living.  At  that  very  time  she  was  on  the  balcony, 
saw  the  travellers,  and  sent  out  to  know  whence  they 
were,  and  what  they  had  come  for. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  replied :  "  I  have  come  from  such 
and  such  a  kingdom,  and  I  wish  to  ask  Anna  the 
Beautiful  in  marriage." 

They  reported  this  to  the  princess.  She  gave 
answer  that  the  Tsarevich  should  come  to  the  palace 
and  give,  in  the  presence  of  all  her  counselling  princes 
and  boyars,  a  riddle.  "  With  me,"  said  she,  "  this 
order  is  established,  that  if  I  solve  not  the  riddle  of 
a  man,  I  will  marry  him ;  but  if  I  solve  any  man's 
riddle,  I  give  him  to  a  cruel  death." 

"  Hear  my  riddle,  beautiful  princess,"  said  Ivan. 
"  We  were  going  along,  we  saw  good  lying  on  the  road, 
we  took  good  with  good  and  put  it  in  our  good," 

Anna  the  Beautiful  took  her  magic  book,  began  to 
examine  it  and  look  for  riddles;  she  went  through 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.      85 

the  whole  volume  and  found  nothing.  Then  the 
counselling  princes  and  boyars  decided  that  the 
princess  must  marry  Ivan  Tsarevich.  Though  sorry, 
she  had  to  give  way,  and  began  to  prepare  for  the 
wedding ;  but  plotting  to  win  time  and  get  rid  of  the 
bridegroom,  she  thought,  "  I  will  trouble  him  with 
difficult  tasks."  She  called  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  said  : 
"  Oh,  my  dear  Ivan  Tsarevich,  my  betrothed  hus- 
band, we  must  prepare  for  the  wedding;  do  me  a 
small  service.  In  my  kingdom  in  such  a  place  stands 
a  great  iron  pillar;  bring  it  to  the  palace  kitchen 
and  cut  it  into  small  pieces  as  fuel  for  the  cook." 

"  My  princess,  is  it  possible  that  I  have  come  here 
to  cut  fuel?  Is  that  my  business?  I  have  a  servant 
for  that,  —  Uncle  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap." 

The  Tsarevich  called  Uncle  Katoma  straightway, 
and  commanded  him  to  bring  the  iron  pillar  to  the 
kitchen  and  cut  it  into  small  pieces  as  fuel  for  the 
cook. 

Uncle  Katoma  went  to  the  place  mentioned,  took 
the  pillar  in  his  arms,  brought  it  to  the  palace  kitchen, 
and  cut  it  into  small  pieces.  Four  pieces  of  iron  did 
he  put  in  his  pocket,  saying,  "  They  will  be  good  in 
the  future." 

Next  day  the  princess  said  to  Ivan :  "  My  dear 
Tsarevich,  my  betrothed  husband,  to-morrow  we 
must  go  to  the  crown :  I  will  go  in  a  carriage,  and 
thou  on  an  heroic  steed.  Meanwhile  thou  shouldst 
try  the  steed." 


86         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Shall  I  try  a  horse  when  I  have  a  servant  for 
that?"  Ivan  Tsarevich  called  Uncle  Katoma  of  the 
Oaken  Cap. 

"  Go,"  said  he,  "  and  order  the  stable-boys  to 
lead  forth  the  heroic  steed ;  sit  on  him  and  ride  him 
around.  To-morrow  I  will  go  to  the  marriage  on 
him." 

Uncle  Katoma  saw  through  the  cunning  of  the 
princess,  without  talking  long.  He  went  to  the 
stable  and  ordered  them  to  lead  forth  the  heroic 
steed.  Twelve  men  went :  they  opened  twelve  locks, 
opened  twelve  doors,  and  led  out  the  magic  horse 
by  twelve  iron  chains. 

Uncle  Katoma  went  to  the  horse :  the  moment  he 
sat  on  him  the  magic  steed  left  the  earth  and  rose 
higher  than  the  standing  forest,  lower  than  the  mov- 
ing clouds.  Katoma  sat  firmly;  with  one  hand  he 
held  the  mane,  with  the  other  he  took  from  his 
pocket  one  of  the  iron  bars  and  began  to  pound 
the  horse  between  the  ears  with  it.  He  broke  one 
bar,  took  another,  broke  that,  took  a  third,  broke 
that.  The  fourth  entered  service ;  and  Katoma  so 
hammered  the  steed  that  he  could  not  endure,  but 
spoke  with  the  voice  of  a  man :  "  Father  Katoma,  let 
me  even  live  in  the  white  world ;  whatever  thou  wish- 
est,  command,  —  everything  shall  be  as  thou  sayest" 

"  Listen,  dog's  meat !  "  answered  Uncle  Katoma. 
"To-morrow  Ivan  Tsarevich  will  ride  thee  to  the  mar- 
riage: see  to  it  when  they  lead  thee  to  the  broad 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.       87 

court,  when  the  Tsarevich  approaches  and  puts  his 
hand  on  thee,  that  thou  standest  quietly,  movest  not 
an  ear;  and  when  he  sits  on  thy  Hack,  sink  to  thy 
fetlocks,  and  walk  under  him  with  a  heavy  tread,  as 
if  an  immeasurable  burden  were  on  thee." 

The  heroic  steed  heard  the  command  and  came 
down  barely  alive  to  the  earth.  Katoma  took  him 
by  the  tail  and  threw  him  to  the  side  of  the  stable, 
saying,  "  Oh,  coachmen  and  grooms,  take  this  dog's 
meat  to  the  stable !  " 

The  next  day  rose,  the  hour  of  marriage  came. 
They  gave  a  carriage  to  the  princess,  and  led  out 
the  heroic  steed  for  Ivan  Tsarevich.  The  people  ran 
from  every  side  in  thousands.  The  bridegroom  and 
the  bride  came  forth  from  the  white-walled  palace. 
The  princess  sat  in  the  carriage  and  waited  for  what 
would  happen  to  Ivan  Tsarevich.  The  magic  steed, 
she  thought,  would  scatter  his  hair  to  the  wind  and 
drag  his  bones  over  the  field. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  approached  the  steed,  put  his  hand 
on  his  back,  his  foot  in  the  stirrup ;  the  horse  stood 
as  if  fixed  to  the  earth,  moved  not  an  ear.  Ivan  sat 
on  his  back ;  the  horse  sank  in  the  ground  to  the  fet- 
locks. They  removed  the  twelve  chains  from  him; 
the  horse  began  to  walk  with  a  slow  and  heavy 
tread,  the  sweat  rolled  from  him  like  rain. 

"  Oh,  what  a  champion,  what  immeasurable 
strength  !  "  said  the  people,  looking  at  the  Tsarevich. 

They   crowned    the   bridegroom   with    the   bride. 


88         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

They  were  coming  out  of  the  church,  took  each 
other  by  the  hand,  and  the  princess  thought  of 
testing  once  more  the  strength  of  Ivan  Tsarevich. 
She  pressed  his  hand  with  such  force  that  he  could 
not  endure;  the  blood  rushed  to  his  face,  his  eyes 
went  up  under  his  forehead. 

"  So  this  is  the  kind  of  hero  thou  art !  "  thought 
the  princess.  "  Thy  uncle  has  deceived  me  grandly ; 
but  this  will  not  go  with  thee  for  nothing." 

Anna  the  Beautiful  lived  with  Ivan  Tsarevich  as 
-was  befitting  a  wife  with  a  God-given  husband,  and 
she  in  every  way  flattered  him  with  words,  but 
thought  only  of  one  thing,  —  how  to  destroy  Uncle 
Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap.  It  was  not  difficult  for 
her  to  manage  the  Tsarevich  without  the  uncle. 
No  matter  how  much  calumny  she  invented,  Ivan 
did  not  yield  to  her  speeches;  he  had  pity  on  his 
uncle.  In  a  year's  time  he  said  to  his  wife :  "  My 
dear  consort,  beautiful  princess,  I  should  like  to  go 
with  thee  to  my  own  kingdom." 

"  Very  well,  let  us  go ;  I  have  long  wished  to  see 
thy  kingdom." 

They  got  ready  and  went,  making  Uncle  Katoma 
coachman.  They  travelled  and  travelled.  Ivan 
Tsarevich  fell  asleep  on  the  way.  All  at  once  Anna 
the  Beautiful  began  to  rouse  him  and  complain: 
"Now,  Tsarevich,  thou  art  sleeping  all  the  time, 
hearest  nothing.  But  thy  uncle  will  not  obey  me; 
he  drives  the  horses  on  purpose  over  hillocks  and 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.      89 

into  holes,  just  as  if  trying  to  kill  me.  I  spoke  to 
him  kindly,  and  he  laughed  at  me.  I  will  not  live 
unless  thou  punish  him." 

Ivan  in  his  drowsiness  grew  very  angry  at  his 
uncle,  and  gave  him  over  entirely  to  the  princess. 
"  Do  with  him  as  thou  desirest."  The  princess  gave 
orders  to  cut  off  his  feet.  Katoma  allowed  himself 
to  be  maltreated  by  her.  "  Let  me  endure,"  thought 
he ;  "  and  the  Tsarevich  will  know  what  it  is  to  suffer 
sorrow."  They  cut  off  Katoma's  feet.  The  princess 
looked  around  and  saw  a  high  stump  on  one  side; 
she  called  the  servants  and  ordered  them  to  seat  him 
on  that  stump.  Ivan  Tsarevich  she  tied  by  a  rope 
to  the  carriage,  turned  back,  and  went  to  her  own 
kingdom.  Uncle  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap  was 
sitting  on  the  stump,  shedding  bitter  tears.  "  Fare- 
well, Ivan  Tsarevich,"  said  he,  "  thou  wilt  remember 
me ;  "  and  Ivan  Tsarevich  ran  jumping  behind  the 
carriage.  He  knew  himself  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake,  but  he  could  not  turn  back. 

Anna  the  Beautiful  came  to  her  own  kingdom,  and 
she  made  Ivan  Tsarevich  herd  cows.  Every  morn- 
ing he  went  with  the  herd  into  the  open  field,  and  in 
the  evening  he  drove  them  back  into  the  princess' 
yard;  and  at  that  time  she  sat  on  the  balcony  and 
counted  the  cows,  were  they  all  there?  She  counted 
them,  and  ordered  the  Tsarevich  to  kiss  the  last  cow 
on  the  tail ;  and  the  cow  was  so  well  trained  that 
when  she  came  to  the  gate  she  stopped  and  raised 
her  tail. 


9O         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Uncle  Katoma  was  sitting  on  the  stump  one  day, 
a  second,  a  third,  without  food  or  drink.  He  could 
in  no  way  slip  down,  and  it  was  coming  to  him  to 
die  of  hunger.  Not  far  away  was  a  thick  wood,  and 
in  that  wood  lived  a  blind,  mighty  hero;  and  he 
nourished  himself  only  with  this,  that  when  he  knew 
by  the  smell  that  a  beast  was  running  past,  —  a  hare, 
fox,  or  bear,  —  that  moment  he  ran,  caught  it,  and 
his  dinner  was  ready.  The  hero  was  very  swift  of 
foot,  and  no  running  beast  could  escape  him.  Be- 
hold, it  happened  thus :  a  fox  was  slipping  by ;  the 
hero  heard  it  and  pursued;  the  fox  ran  to  the  tall 
stump  and  turned  aside.  The  blind  champion  hur- 
ried, and  in  the  run  struck  his  forehead  against  the 
stump  so  that  he  drove  it  out  of  the  ground  with 
its  roots. 

Katoma  was  thrown  to  the  earth,  and  asked, "  Who 
artthou?" 

"  The  blind  hero ;  I  live  in  this  forest  thirty  years, 
and  I  nourish  myself  only  in  this  way.  If  I  seize  a 
beast,  I  roast  it  on  the  fire ;  otherwise  I  should  have 
died  of  hunger  long  since." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  thou  art  blind  from  birth?" 

"  No,  not  from  birth ;  Anna  the  Beautiful  put  out 
my  eyes." 

"  Well,  brother,"  said  Uncle  Katoma  of  the  Oaken 
Cap,  "  and  I  through  her  am  footless ;  she  cut  off  my 
two  feet,  the  cursed  woman." 

The  two  heroes  talked  to  each  other,  and  agreed  to 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.       91 

live  together  and  find  food  in  common.  The  blind 
said  to  the  footless :  "  Sit  on  me  and  show  the  way ;  I 
will  serve  thee  with  my  feet,  and  thou  shalt  serve 
me  with  thy  eyes." 

He  took  the  footless  and  carried  him.  Katoma 
sat,  looked  on  both  sides,  and  cried  out :  "  To  the 
right;  to  the  left;  straight  ahead."  They  lived  in 
this  way  some  time  in  the  forest  and  caught  food, — 
hares,  foxes,  and  bears. 

Once  the  footless  asked :  "  Is  it  possible  that  we 
shall  live  all  our  lives  without  company?  I  have 
heard  that  in  a  certain  town  there  is  a  rich  merchant 
with  his  daughter,  and  the  daughter  is  very  chari- 
table to  poor  people  and  cripples,  and  gives  alms 
herself  to  all.  Let  us  carry  her  off,  brother ;  let  her 
live  with  us  as  a  housekeeper." 

The  blind  man  took  a  wagon,  put  the  footless  in  it, 
and  drew  him  to  the  town.  They  went  straight  to 
the  house  of  the  rich  merchant.  The  merchant's 
daughter  saw  them  through  the  window.  Straight- 
way she  sprang  up  and  went  to  give  them  something. 
She  went  to  the  footless :  "  Take  this,  poor  man,  for 
Christ's  sake."  While  taking  the  gift  he  seized  her 
by  the  hand  and  into  the  wagon  with  her.  He  called 
to  the  blind  man,  who  ran  so  swiftly  that  no  horse- 
man could  come  up  with  him. 

The  merchant  sent  a  party  in  pursuit,  but  no  one 
could  overtake  the  two  men.  The  heroes  brought 
the  merchant's  daughter  to  their  hut  in  the  forest,  and 


92         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

said  to  her :  "  Be  to  us  in  the  place  of  our  own 
sister ;  live  with  us,  keep  the  house,  for  we  have  no 
one  to  cook  a  meal  for  us  or  to  wash  our  shirts.  God 
will  not  forget  thee  for  doing  this." 

The  maiden  remained  with  them.  The  heroes  re- 
spected and  loved  her,  and  considered  her  as  their  own 
sister.  The  way  was,  they  used  to  go  hunting,  and 
she  was  always  at  home,  took  care  of  the  house- 
keeping, cooked  for  them,  washed  for  them.  Now  a 
Baba-Yaga,  boneleg,  began  to  come  to  the  hut  and 
suck  the  blood  of  the  merchant's  daughter.  The 
moment  the  heroes  went  to  hunt,  Baba-Yaga  was 
there.  Whether  it  was  long  or  short,  the  fair  maid- 
en's face  fell  away ;  she  grew  thin  and  poor. 

The  blind  man  saw  nothing,  but  Uncle  Katoma  of 
the  Oaken  Cap  noticed  that  something  was  wrong. 
He  spoke  of  it  to  the  blind  man,  and  they  questioned 
their  adopted  sister.  They  began  to  urge  her  to 
answer.  The  Baba-Yaga  had  strictly  forbidden  her 
to  confess.  For  a  long  time  she  was  afraid  to  tell 
of  her  trouble ;  long  she  resisted.  At  last  they  per- 
suaded her,  and  she  confessed  everything.  "  When- 
ever ye  go  away  to  hunt,  an  ancient  old  woman 
comes,  evil-faced,  long-haired,  gray;  she  makes  me 
search  in  her  head,  and  then  sucks  my  blood." 

"  Ah !  "  said  the  blind  man,  "  that  is  Baba-Yaga. 
Wait,  we  must  settle  with  her  in  our  own  fashion; 
to-morrow  we  will  not  go  to  hunt,  we  will  try  to  come 
upon  her  and  catch  her." 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.       93 

Next  morning  they  did  not  go  to  hunt. 

"  Well,  footless  uncle,"  said  the  blind  man,  "  crawl 
thou  under  the  bench ;  sit  quietly.  I  will  go  outside 
and  stay  under  the  window.  And  thou,  sister,  when 
Baba-Yaga  comes,  sit  right  here  in  this  window,  search 
in  her  head,  separate  her  hair  gradually,  and  let  it  out 
of  the  window.  I  will  catch  her  by  the  gray  locks." 

It  was  said  and  done.  The  blind  man  caught  the 
Baba-Yaga  by  the  gray  locks  and  cried,  "  Ei !  Uncle 
Katoma,  crawl  from  under  the  bench  and  hold  the 
viperous  old  hag  till  I  go  into  the  house." 

Baba-Yaga  heard  trouble,  wanted  to  jump  up,  and 
raised  her  head.  What  could  she  do?  She  had  no 
chance ;  she  tore  and  tore,  —  no  use. 

Then  Katoma  crawled  from  under  the  bench,  threw 
himself  on  her  like  a  stone  mountain,  and  began  to 
smother  Baba-Yaga.  She  was  frightened  out  of  her 
wits. 

The  blind  man  sprang  into  the  house,  and  said  to 
the  footless :  "  We  must  make  a  big  fire  now,  burn 
the  old  outcast,  and  scatter  her  ashes  to  the  wind." 

Baba-Yaga  implored.  "  Father,  dove,  forgive  me ; 
whatever  thou  wishest  I  '11  do." 

"  Well,  old  witch,"  said  the  heroes,  "  show  us  the 
well  of  living  and  healing  water." 

"  Only  don't  beat  me,  and  I  '11  show  you  this 
moment." 

Uncle  Katoma  sat  on  the  blind  man,  the  blind 
man  took  Baba-Yaga  by  the  hair,  and  she  led  them 


94         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

to  the  forest  depth,  brought  them  to  a  well,  and  said : 
"  Here  is  the  healing  and  living  water." 

"  See  to  it,  Uncle  Katoma,"  said  the  blind  man, 
"  make  no  mistake ;  if  she  deceives  us  now,  we  can- 
not mend  matters  while  we  live." 

Uncle  Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap  broke  from  a  tree 
a  green  branch  and  threw  it  into  the  well ;  the  branch 
had  not  reached  the  water  when  it  burst  into  a  blaze. 

"  Ah,  thou  hast  turned  to  deceit !  " 

They  began  to  choke  the  old  woman,  and  wanted 
to  throw  her  into  the  fiery  well.  She  implored  more 
than  before,  and  gave  an  awful  oath  that  now  she 
would  play  no  tricks.  "  Ton  my  true  word,  I  will 
lead  you  now  to  good  water." 

They  agreed  to  try  once  more,  and  the  old  woman 
brought  them  to  another  well. 

Uncle  Katoma  broke  a  dry  branch  from  a  tree,  and 
threw  it  into  the  well ;  the  branch  had  not  reached 
the  water  when  it  gave  out  buds,  grew  green,  and 
blossomed. 

"  Oh,  this  is  good  water !  "  said  Uncle  Katoma. 

The  blind  man  moistened  his  eyes  with  it,  and  in 
a  moment  he  saw.  He  let  the  footless  down  into  the 
water,  and  his  feet  grew  out. 

Both  were  rejoiced,  and  said:  "Now  we  will  re- 
store everything;  but  first  we  must  settle  with  Baba- 
Yaga.  If  we  forgive  her  now,  we  shall  not  see  good 
ourselves ;  she  will  plot  evil  against  us  all  our  lives." 

They  returned  to  the  fiery  well  and  threw  Baba- 


The  Footless  and  Blind  Champions.      95 

Yaga  into  it,  so  that  she  perished.  Then  Uncle 
Katoma  married  the  merchant's  daughter,  and  all 
three  went  to  the  kingdom  of  Anna  the  Beautiful 
to  liberate  Ivan  Tsarevich. 

They  were  approaching  the  capital  town.  They 
looked,  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  driving  a  herd  of  cows. 

"  Stop,  herdsman  !  "  said  Uncle  Katoma.  "  Whither 
art  thou  driving  thesq  cows  ?  " 

"  I  am  driving  them  to  the  royal  castle.  The  prin- 
cess always  counts  them  herself,  to  see  if  all  the 
cows  are  there." 

"  Well,  herdsman,  here  are  my  clothes ;  put  them 
on.  I  '11  put  on  thine,  and  drive  the  cows." 

"  No,  brother,  that  is  impossible ;  if  the  princess 
should  know  it,  woe  to  me." 

"  Never  fear,  nothing  will  come  of  it ;  Uncle 
Katoma  is  security  for  thee  in  that." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  sighed,  and  said :  "  Oh,  kind  man, 
if  Uncle  Katoma  were  living  I  should  not  be  herding 
,cows  in  this  field." 

Then  Uncle  Katoma  confessed  to  him  who  he  was. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  embraced  him  firmly  and  shed  tears. 
"  I  did  not  think  to  see  thee." 

They  changed  clothes.  Uncle  Katoma  drove  the 
cows  to  the  princess's  yard.  Anna  the  Beautiful  came 
out  on  the  balcony,  counted  to  see  if  all  the  cows 
were  there,  and  gave  command  to  drive  them  into 
the  shed.  All  went  in  but  the  last  one ;  she  stopped 
at  the  gate.  Katoma  jumped  up.  "  What  art  thou 


96          Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales 

waiting  for,  dog's  meat?  "  caught  her  by  the  tail,  and 
pulled  her  skin  off. 

The  princess  saw  this  and  cried :  "  What  is  that 
scoundrel  of  a  herdsman  doing?  Seize  him;  bring 
him  to  me  !  " 

Here  the  servants  caught  Katoma  and  dragged  him 
to  the  palace.  He  made  no  excuse,  for  he  was  confi- 
dent in  himself.  They  brought  him  to  the  palace.  She 
looked  at  him  and  asked :  "  Who  art  thou?  Whence 
art  thou  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  man  whose  feet  thou  didst  cut  off,  and 
thou  didst  seat  me  on  a  stump ;  they  call  me  Uncle 
Katoma  of  the  Oaken  Cap." 

"  Well,"  thought  the  princess,  "  if  he  has  brought 
back  his  feet,  there  is  no  use  in  playing  tricks  with 
him ;  "  and  she  begged  forgiveness  of  him,  was  sorry 
for  her  sins,  and  took  an  oath  to  love  Ivan  Tsarevich 
forever  and  obey  him  in  all  things. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  forgave  her,  and  began  to  live  with 
her  in  peace  and  harmony.  The  blind  hero  lived 
with  them,  and  Uncle  Katoma  went  with  his  wife  to 
the  rich  merchant  and  lived  in  his  house. 


OF 


THE    THREE    KINGDOMS. 

IN  that  ancient  time  when  God's  world  was  full 
of  wood-demons,  witches,  and  river-maidens, 
when  rivers  of  milk  were  flowing  between  banks  of 
jelly,  when  over  the  fields  roast  partridges  were 
flying,  there  lived  a  Tsar,  Goroh  by  name,  with  his 
Tsaritsa,  Anastasia  the  Beautiful ;  and  they  had  three 
sons.  A  misfortune  not  small  happened,  —  an  un- 
clean spirit  carried  away  the  Tsaritsa. 

Said  the  eldest  son  to  the  Tsar:  "  Father,  give  me 
thy  blessing ;  I  will  go  in  search  of  my  mother." 

He  went  away  and  vanished  ;  for  three  years 
there  were  neither  tidings  nor  report  of  him. 

,  The  second  son  began  to  ask :  "  Father,  give  me 
thy  blessing  for  the  road,  for  the  journey.  Perhaps 
I  may  have  the  luck  to  find  my  brother  and  my 
mother." 

The  Tsar  gave  his  blessing.  The  Tsarevich  rode 
off  and  also  disappeared  as  if  he  had  sunk  in 
water. 

Ivan,  the  youngest  son,  came  to  the  Tsar.  "  My 
dear  father,  give  me  thy  blessing  for  the  road,  for 
the  journey;  perhaps  I  shall  find  my  brothers  and 
mother." 

"  Go  thy  way,  my  dear  son." 
7 


98         Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  set  out  for  a  strange,  distant  region. 
He  travelled  and  travelled,  and  reached  the  blue  sea. 
He  stopped  on  the  shore  and  thought:  "Whither 
can  I  hold  my  way  now?  "  All  at  once  there  flew  to 
sea  three  and  thirty  spoonbills,  struck  the  earth,  and 
became  fair  maidens,  —  all  beautiful,  but  one  was 
better  than  all  the  rest.  They  undressed  and  rushed 
into  the  water.  Whether  they  were  bathing  a  long 
or  short  time,  Ivan  Tsarevich  stole  up  and  took  the 
girdle  of  that  maiden  who  was  better  than  all  the 
rest  and  hid  it  in  his  bosom.  When  they  had  fin- 
ished bathing  they  came  out  on  shore  and  began  to 
>dress.  One  girdle  was  gone. 

"  Ah !  Ivan  Tsarevich,"  said  the  beauty,  "  give  me 
;my  girdle." 

"  Tell  me  first  where  my  mother  is." 

"  Thy  mother  is  at  the  house  of  my  father,  Raven 
son  of  Raven  (Voron  Voronovich).  Go  up  along 
the  sea,  thou  wilt  meet  a  silver  bird  with  a  golden 
crest ;  wherever  it  flies  do  thou  follow." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  gave  her  the  girdle  and  went  along 
the  sea ;  there  he  met  his  brothers,  exchanged  greet- 
ings, and  took  them  with  him.  They  went  together 
along  the  shore,  saw  the  golden-tufted  silver  bird, 
and  ran  after  it.  The  bird  flew  and  flew  till  it 
rushed  under  an  iron  plate  into  an  opening. 

"Well,  brothers,"  said  Ivan  Tsarevich,  "give  me 
your  blessing  in  the  place  of  father  and  mother.  I 
will  let  myself  down  into  this  opening  and  discover 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  99 

what  a  land  of  strange  faith  is  like,  —  perhaps  our 
mother  is  there." 

His  brothers  gave  him  their  blessing.  He  sat  on 
a  rope  swing,  crawled  into  that  deep  opening,  and 
went  down  no  short  distance.  Just  three  years  was 
he  letting  himself  down,  and  then  went  on  his  road 
and  way.  He  went  and  went,  went  and  went.  He 
saw  the  Copper  Kingdom.  In  the  castle  were  sitting 
three  and  thirty  spoonbill  maidens.  They  were  em- 
broidering towels  with  cunning  designs,  with  towns 
and  suburbs. 

"  Hail,  Ivan  Tsarevich !  "  said  the  Tsaritsa  of  the 
Copper  Kingdom.  "Whither  dost  thou  hold  thy 
way?" 

"  I  am  going  in  search  of  my  mother." 

"Thy  mother  is  with  my  father,  Raven  son  of 
Raven.  He  is  cunning  and  wise ;  over  mountains 
and  valleys,  over  caves  and  clouds,  has  he  flown.  He 
will  slay  thee,  good  youth.  Here  is  a  ball  for  thee. 
Go  to  my  second  sister ;  hear  what  she  will  tell  thee. 
If  thou  comest  back,  forget  me  not." 

Ivan  rolled  the  ball  and  followed ;  he  came  to  the 
Silver  Kingdom.  The  Tsaritsa  of  the  Silver  Kingdom 
said :  "  Till  now  the  Russian  odor  was  not  to  be  seen 
with  sight  nor  heard  with  hearing ;  but  now  the  Rus- 
sian odor  appears  visibly.  Well,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  art 
fleeing  from  work,  or  seekest  work?  " 

"  Ah,  fair  maiden  !  I  am  in  search  of  my  mother." 

"Thy  mother   is  with    my  father,  Raven  son  of 


i  oo       Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

Raven.  Cunning  is  he  and  wise ;  over  mountains,  over 
valleys  has  he  flown,  over  caves,  over  clouds  has  he 
swept.  Oh,  Tsarevich,  he  will  slay  thee  !  Here  is  a 
ball.  Go  to  my  youngest  sister ;  hear  what  she  will 
say  to  thee,  whether  to  go  on  or  come  back." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  came  to  the  Golden  Kingdom; 
there  three  and  thirty  spoonbill  maidens  were  sit- 
ting embroidering  towels.  Taller  than  all,  fairer 
than  all,  was  the  Tsaritsa  of  the  Golden  kingdom,  — 
a  beauty  that  could  not  be  told  of  in  a  tale  or 
described  with  a  pen. 

"  Hail,  Ivan  Tsarevich  !  "  said  she.  "  Whither  dost 
thou  hold  thy  way?" 

"  I  am  going  to  seek  my  mother." 

"  Thy  mother  is  with  my  father,  Raven  son  of 
Raven.  Cunning  is  he  and  wise.  Oh,  Tsarevich,  he 
will  slay  thee  surely !  Here  is  a  ball  for  thee.  Go 
now  to  the  Pearl  Kingdom ;  there  thy  mother  lives. 
When  she  sees  thee  she  will  be  rejoiced,  and  that 
moment  will  say,  *  Nurses  and  maidens,  bring  my  son 
green  wine ;  '  but  take  it  not.  Ask  her  to  give  thee 
wine  three  years  old  that  is  in  the  cupboard,  and  a 
burnt  crust  for  lunch,  and  do  not  forget  that  my 
father  has  in  the  yard  two  jars  of  water,  —  one  water 
of  strength,  the  other  of  weakness ;  put  each  in 
the  place  of  the  other,  and  drink  of  the  water  of 
strength." 

The  Tsarevich  talked  a  long  time  with  the  Tsaritsa, 
and  they  fell  in  love  with  each  other  to  such  a  degree 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  101 

that  they  hated  to  part ;  but  there  was  no  help  for 
them.  Ivan  Tsarevich  took  farewell  of  her  and  went 
on  his  journey.  He  travelled  and  travelled  till  he 
came  to  the  Pearl  Kingdom.  His  mother  saw  him, 
was  delighted,  and  cried  out,  "  Nurses  and  maidens, 
bring  my  son  green  wine." 

"  I  drink  no  common  wine ;  give  me  wine  three 
years  old,  and  for  a  bite  a  burnt  crust."  He  drank 
wine  three  years  old,  ate  the  burnt  crust,  went  out  in 
the  broad  court,  put  each  jar  in  the  place  of  the  other, 
and  fell  to  drinking  the  water  of  strength. 

All  at  once  Raven  son  of  Raven  flew  home,  bright 
as  the  clear  day ;  but  when  he  saw  Ivan  Tsarevich  he 
grew  gloomier  than  the  dark  night.  He  stooped 
down  to  the  jar,  and  began  to  drink  the  water  of 
weakness.  Then  Ivan  Tsarevich  fell  upon  his  wings, 
and  Raven  son  of  Raven  soared  high,  high ;  he  bore 
Ivan  over  mountains,  over  valleys,  over  caves,  over 
clouds.  "  What  dost  thou  need,  Ivan  Tsarevich  ? 
If  thou  wishest,  I  will  give  thee  treasure." 

"  I  want  nothing  but  the  feather  staff." 

"  No,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  thou  wishest  to  sit  in  a  very 
wide  sleigh."  And  again  Raven  son  of  Raven  bore 
him  over  mountains,  over  valleys,  over  caves,  over 
clouds. 

Ivan  held  firmly,  bore  down  with  all  his  weight, 
and  nearly  broke  the  wings  of  Raven  son  of  Raven, 
who  screamed,  "Break  not  my  wings;  take  the 
feather  staff!"  He  gave  Ivan  the  feather  staff, 


IO2       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

became  a  common  raven  himself,  and  flew  away  to 
the  steep  mountains. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  back,  came  to  the  Pearl  King- 
dom, took  his  mother,  and  set  out  for  home.  He 
looked ;  the  Pearl  Kingdom  had  turned  into  a  ball, 
and  was  rolling  after  him.  He  came  to  the  Golden 
Kingdom,  then  to  the  Silver,  and  then  to  the  Copper 
Kingdom.  He  took  and  brought  with  him  the  three 
beautiful  Tsaritsas,  and  those  kingdoms  were  wound 
into  balls  and  rolled  after  him.  He  came  to  the 
rope  swing  and  sounded  a  golden  trumpet:  "My 
own  brothers,  if  ye  are  alive,  do  not  betray  me." 

The  brothers  heard  the  call,  and  drew  out  into  the 
white  world  the  beautiful  soul  maiden,  the  Tsaritsa  of 
the  Copper  Kingdom.  They  saw  her,  and  began  to 
fight  among  themselves ;  one  would  not  yield  to  the 
other. 

"Why  fight,  good  youths?"  said  the  maiden. 
"  Down  there  are  better  than  I." 

They  let  down  the  rope  swing  and  drew  up  the 
Tsaritsa  of  the  Silver  Kingdom.  Again  they  began 
to  dispute  and  fight;  one  said,  "  Let  her  be  mine,  and 
come  to  me ;  "  the  other  said,  "  I  won't  let  her  be 
thine." 

"Do  not  fight,  good  youths;  down  there  is  a 
maiden  more  beautiful  than  I." 

They  stopped  fighting,  put  down  the  rope  swing, 
and  drew  up  the  Tsaritsa  of  the  Golden  Kingdom. 
Again  they  began  to  fight;  but  the  Tsaritsa,  the 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  103 

beauty,  immediately  stopped  them,  saying :  "  Your 
mother  is  waiting  for  you."  They  drew  out  their 
mother,  and  let  down  the  rope  swing  for  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich ;  they  raised  him  half  way,  and  cut  the  rope. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  fell  into  the  depth  and  was  terribly 
shocked ;  he  lay  half  a  year  without  senses,  came  to 
himself,  and  looked  around,  remembered  everything 
that  had  happened  to  him,  took  out  the  feather  staff, 
and  struck  the  earth  with  it.  That  moment  twelve 
youths  appeared.  "  What  is  thy  command,  Ivan 
Tsarevich  ?  " 

"  Take  me  out  into  the  free  world." 

The  youths  seized  him  under  the  arms  and  bore 
him  into  the  free  world.  Ivan  Tsarevich  inquired 
about  his  brothers,  and  heard  that  they  had  married 
long  before.  The  Tsaritsa  of  the  Copper  Kingdom 
married  the  second  brother;  the  Tsaritsa  of  the 
Silver  Kingdom,  his  eldest  brother;  but  his  own 
bride  would  not  marry  any  man:  his  old  father 
wanted  to  marry  her.  He  summoned  a  council,  ac- 
cus^d  his  wife  of  intimacy  with  evil  spirits,  and  gave 
command  to  cut  her  head  off.  After  the  execution 
he  said  to  the  Tsaritsa  of  the  Golden  Kingdom: 
"Wilt  thou  marry  me?" 

"  I  will  when  thou  makest  shoes  for  me  without 
measure." 

The  Tsar  gave  command  to  issue  a  call  and  ask 
all  and  each,  would  any  man  make  shoes  for  the 
Tsaritsa  without  taking  her  measure.  At  this  time 


IO4       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  had  come  to  his  own  kingdom,  and 
hired  as  a  workman  with  a  certain  old  man ;  and  he 
sent  him  to  the  Tsar :  "  Go,  grandfather,  take  this 
affair  on  thyself,  and  I  will  make  the  shoes  for  thee ; 
but  do  not  tell  about  me." 

The  old  man  went  to  the  Tsar.  "  I,"  said  he,  "  am 
ready  to  undertake  the  work." 

The  Tsar  gave  him  leather  for  a  pair  of  shoes,  and 
asked :  "  But  canst  thou  do  it,  old  man?  " 

"  Never  fear,  Gosudar.  I  have  a  son  who  is  a 
shoemaker." 

When  he  came  home  the  old  man  gave  the  leather 
to  Ivan  Tsarevich,  who  cut  it  into  bits  and  threw  it 
out  of  the  window;  then  he  opened  the  Golden 
Kingdom  and  took  out  shoes  already  made.  "  Here, 
grandfather,  take  these  and  carry  them  to  the  Tsar." 

The  Tsar  was  delighted,  and  urged  the  bride: 
"  Shall  we  go  to  the  crown  soon  ? " 

She  answered :  "  I  will  marry  thee  if  thou  wilt 
make  for  me  robes  to  fit  without  measure." 

The  Tsar  again  was  in  trouble ;  he  assembled  all 
the  dressmakers,  and  offered  them  much  money  if 
they  would  only  make  robes  to  fit  without  measuring 
the  Tsaritsa. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  said  to  the  old  man:  "  Grandfather, 
go  to  the  Tsar,  get  cloth ;  I  will  sew  robes  for  thee, 
but  do  not  tell  of  me." 

The  old  man  dragged  himself  off  to  the  palace, 
took  satin  and  velvet,  came  home,  and  gave  it  to  the 


The  Three  Kingdoms.  105 

Tsarevich.  Ivan  Tsarevich  took  scissors  straightway, 
and  cut  all  the  satin  and  velvet  to  pieces  and  threw 
them  out  of  the  window.  Then  he  opened  the 
Golden  Kingdom  and  took  out  the  most  beautiful 
robes  and  gave  them  to  the  old  man,  saying,  "  Take 
these  to  the  palace." 

The  Tsar  was  delighted.  "  Well,  my  beloved  bride, 
is  it  not  time  for  us  to  go  to  the  crown?  " 

The  Tsaritsa  answered :  "  I  will  marry  thee  when 
thou  wilt  fake  the  son  of  that  old  man  and  command 
that  he  be  boiled  in  milk." 

The  Tsar  thought  awhile,  then  gave  the  command* 
and  that  day  they  collected  three  gallons  of  milk 
from  each  house,  filled  a  great  caldron,  and  boiled  it 
on  a  hot  fire.  They  brought  Ivan  Tsarevich.  He 
took  farewell  of  all,  bowed  to  the  earth,  then  threw 
himself  into  the  caldron,  dived  once,  dived  twice, 
sprang  out  such  a  beauty  that  it  could  neither  be  told 
of  in  a  tale  nor  described  with  a  pen. 

Said  the  Tsaritsa:  "Look,  Tsar!  Whom  shall  I 
marry,  —  thee,  old  man,  or  that  gallant  youth?  " 

The  Tsar  thought  awhile.  "If  I  bathe  in  the 
milk,  I  shall  become  just  such  a  beauty  as  he."  He 
sprang  into  the  caldron,  and  was  cooked  in  a  minute. 
But  Ivan  Tsarevich  went  to  be  crowned  with  the 
Tsaritsa  of  the  Golden  Kingdom ;  they  were  crowned, 
and  began  to  live  and  live  on,  gaining  wealth. 


KOSHCHEI  WITHOUT-DEATH. 

IT  happened  that  once  there  lived  in  a  certain  land  a 
Tsar  and  a  Tsaritsa.  They  had  a  son,  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich.  When  an  infant  the  maidens  rocked  him ;  but 
do  what  they  might,  they  could  not  rock  him  to  sleep. 
"Tsar,  great  Gosudar,  come,  rock  thy  own  son."  The 
Tsar  went  to  rock  the  child :  "  Sleep,  little  son,  sleep 
my  own  dear ;  thou  wilt  grow  up  a  man.  I  will  get  thee 
Peerless  Beauty  as  bride, —  the  daughter  of  three 
mothers,  the  granddaughter  of  three  grandmothers, 
and  the  sister  of  nine  brothers."  The  Tsarevich  went 
to  sleep  and  slept  for  three  days  and  three  nights; 
woke  up,  and  cried  more  than  before. 

The  maidens  rock  him,  but  they  cannot  rock  him 
to  sleep;  they  call  his  father:  "  Tsar,  great  Gosudar, 
come,  rock  thy  own  son." 

The  Tsar  rocked  him,  saying,  "  Sleep,  little  son, 
sleep,  my  own  dear;  thou  wilt  grow  up  a  man.  I 
will  get  thee  Peerless  Beauty  as  bride,  the  daughter 
of  three  mothers,  the  granddaughter  of  three  grand- 
mothers, and  the  sister  of  nine  brothers."  The 
Tsarevich  fell  asleep,  and  again  slept  three  days  and 
three  nights.  He  woke  up  and  cried  more  than  ever. 

The  maidens  rock  him,  they  cannot  rock  him  to 


Koshchei  Without- Death.  107 

sleep.  "  Come,  Tsar,  great  Gosudar,"  said  they, 
"  rock  thy  own  son." 

The  Tsar  rocked  him,  saying  the  while,  "  Sleep, 
little  son,  sleep,  my  own  dear;  thou  wilt  grow  up  a 
man.  I  will  get  thee  Peerless  Beauty  as  bride,  the 
daughter  of  three  mothers,  the  granddaughter  of 
three  grandmothers." 

The  Tsarevich  fell  asleep  and  slept  again  three 
days  and  three  nights.  He  woke  up  and  said,  "  Give 
thy  blessing,  father ;  I  am  going  to  marry." 

"What  dost  thou  mean,  my  dear  little  child? 
Whither  canst  thou  go?  Thou  art  but  nine  days  of 
age  in  all." 

"  If  thou  wilt  give  me  thy  blessing,  I  '11  go ;  if  not, 
I  '11  go  also." 

"  Well,  the  Lord  guide  thee." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  arrayed  himself,  and  went  to  find 
a  horse.  He  went  a  short  way  from  the  house,  and 
met  an  old  man.  "  Where  art  thou  going,  young 
man,"  asked  he,  —  "  of  thy  own  will,  or  against  thy 
will?" 

"  I  will  not  talk  with  thee,"  answered  the  Tsarevich. 
He  went  on  a  little,  changed  his  mind.  "  Why  did  I 
not  say  something  to  the  old  man.  Old  people  bring 
us  to  sense."  Straightway  he  overtook  the  old  man. 
"  Stop,  grandfather.  Of  what  didst  thou  ask  me?  " 

"  I  asked  where  art  thou  going,  young  man,  —  of 
thy  own  will,  or  against  thy  will?  " 

"  I  go  so  much  of  my  own  will,  and  twice  that  much 


1 08       Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

against  my  will.  I  was  in  early  years;  my  father 
rocked  me  in  the  cradle ;  he  promised  to  get  me 
Peerless  Beauty  as  bride." 

"  Thou  art  a  good  youth,  thou  art  well  spoken ; 
but  thou  canst  not  go  on  foot.  Peerless  Beauty  dwells 
far  away." 

"How  far?" 

"  In  the  Golden  Kingdom,  at  the  end  of  the  white 
world,  where  the  sun  comes  up." 

"  What  am  I  to  do?  I,  young  man,  have  no  saddle- 
horse  unridden,  and  silken  whip  unused  that  are  fit- 
ting for  me." 

"Why  hast  thou  not?  Thy  father  has  thirty 
horses  all  alike.  Go  home,  tell  the  grooms  to  water 
them  at  the  blue  sea;  and  whichever  horse  shall 
push  ahead,  enter  the  water  to  its  neck,  and  when  it 
drinks,  waves  rise  on  the  blue  sea  and  roll  from 
shore  to  shore,  that  one  take." 

"  God  save  thee  for  the  good  word,  grandfather !  " 

As  the  old  man  taught  him,  so  did  the  Tsarevich 
do, — he  chose  for  himself  an  heroic  steed,  passed 
the  night,  rose  next  morning  early,  opened  the  gate, 
and  was  preparing  to  go. 

The  horse  spoke  to  him  in  the  language  of  men : 
"  Ivan  Tsarevich,  drop  to  the  earth ;  I  will  push  thee 
three  times."  He  pushed  him  once,  he  pushed  him 
twice;  but  the  third  time  he  pushed  not.  "If  thou 
wert  pushed  a  third  time,  the  earth  would  not  bear 
thee  and  me." 


Koshchei  Without- Death.    •         109 

Ivan  Tsarevich  took  his  horse  from  the  chains,  sad- 
dled him,  sat  on  him.  The  Tsar  barely  sees  his  son. 
He  rides  far,  far.  The  day  is  growing  short,  night  is 
coming  on.  A  house  stood  like  a  town,  each  room  is 
a  chamber.  He  came  to  the  house,  straight  to  the 
porch,  tied  his  horse  to  the  copper  ring,  went  into  the 
first  chamber,  then  into  the  second,  prayed  to  God, 
asked  to  spend  the  night. 

"  Stay  the  night,  good  youth,"  said  an  old  woman. 
"Whither  is  God  bearing  thee?" 

"  Old  woman,  thou  dost  ask  impolitely.  First  give 
me  to  eat  and  to  drink,  put  me  to  rest,  and  then  ask 
me  for  news." 

She  gave  him  food  and  drink,  put  him  to  bed,  and 
then  asked  for  news. 

"  I  was,  grandmother,"  said  he,  "  in  tender  years ; 
my  father  rocked  me  in  the  cradle,  and  promised 
me  Peerless  Beauty  as  bride,  —  the  daughter  of  three 
mothers,  the  granddaughter  of  three  grandmothers, 
and  the  sister  of  nine  brothers." 

"  Thou  art  a  good  youth,  and  fair  spoken.  I  am 
living  to  the  end  of  the  seventh  ten  of  years,  and  of 
that  beauty  I  have  not  heard.  Farther  on  the  road 
lives  my  elder  sister ;  maybe  she  knows.  But  sleep 
now;  the  morning  is  wiser  than  the  evening." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  passed  the  night ;  next  morning  he 
rose  early,  washed  himself  white,  led  forth  his  steed, 
saddled  him,  put  his  foot  in  the  stirrup.  The  old 
woman  merely  saw  him.  He  rode  far  with  distance, 


no       Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

high  with  height;  the  day  was  shortening,  coming 
toward  night.  There  stood  a  house  like  a  town,  each 
room  was  a  chamber.  He  rode  to  the  porch,  tied 
his  horse  to  a  silver  ring,  went  to  the  entrance,  and 
then  to  the  chamber,  prayed  to  God,  asked  a  night's 
lodging.  An  old  woman  said :  "  Tfu,  tfu !  so  far  a 
Russian  bone  was  not  seen  with  sight  nor  heard 
with  hearing ;  but  now  a  Russian  bone  has  come  itself 
to  the  house.  Where  hast  thou  come  from,  Ivan 
Tsarevich?" 

"  Oh,  thou  old  hag,  how  angry  thou  art !  Thou  dost 
not  ask  with  politeness ;  thou  shouldst  first  give  me 
food  and  drink,  put  me  to  rest,  then  ask  for  news." 

She  seated  him  at  the  table,  gave  him  food  and 
drink,  put  him  to  rest,  sat  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  and 
inquired ;  "  Where  is  God  bearing  thee  ?  " 

"  I  was  in  tender  years,  grandmother ;  my  father 
rocked  me  in  the  cradle  and  promised  me  Peerless 
Beauty  as  bride,  —  the  daughter  of  three  mothers,  the 
granddaughter  of  three  grandmothers,  and  the  sister 
of  nine  brothers." 

"  Thou  art  a  good  youth,  of  kind  speech.  I  am  liv- 
ing toward  the  end  of  the  eighth  ten  of  years,  and  of 
that  beauty  I  have  never  heard.  Before  thee  on  the 
road  lives  my  elder  sister,  —  mayhap  she  knows ;  she 
has  answer-givers.  Her  first  answer-givers  are  the 
beasts  of  the  forests,  the  second  are  the  birds  of  the 
air,  the  third  are  the  fish  and  creatures  of  the  sea. 
Whatever  is  in  the  white  world  obeys  her.  Go  to  her 


Koshch'ei  Without-Death.  in 

in  the  morning,  but  sleep  now;  the  morning  is  wiser 
than  the  evening." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  passed  the  night,  rose  early,  washed 
himself  very  white,  sat  on  his  steed,  and  vanished. 
He  rode  far  with  distance,  high  with  height.  The  day 
was  growing  short,  drawing  near  to  the  night ;  and 
there  stood  a  house  like  a  town,  each  room  was  a 
chamber.  He  came  to  the  porch,  tied  his  horse  to 
a  golden  ring,  then  went  to  the  entrance,  and  next 
to  the  chamber,  prayed  to  God,  and  asked  a  night's 
lodging.  An  old  woman  screamed  at  him.  "  Oh, 
thou,  this  and  that  kind  of  man,  thou  art  not 
worthy  of  an  iron  ring,  and  thou  hast  tied  thy  horse 
to  a  gold  one !  " 

"  Well,  grandmother,  scold  not ;  the  horse  may  be 
loosed  and  tied  to  another  ring." 

"  Oh,  good  hero,  have  I  given  thee  a  fright?  Be 
not  afraid ;  sit  on  the  bench,  and  I  will  ask  from  what 
stock,  from  what  town,  thou  dost  come." 

"  Oh,  grandmother,  thou  shouldst  first  give  me 
food  and  drink,  then  ask  for  the  news !  Thou  seest 
I'm  a  wayfaring  man ;  I  Ve  not  eaten  all  day." 

Straightway  the  old  woman  set  the  table,  brought 
bread  and  salt,  poured  out  a  glass  of  vodka,  and 
began  to  entertain  Ivan  Tsarevich.  He  ate  and 
drank  plenty,  threw  himself  on  the  bed.  The  old 
woman  made  no  inquiry;  he  told  her  himself:  "I  was 
in  tender  years,  my  father  rocked  me  in  the  cradle, 
promised  me  Peerless  Beauty  as  bride,  —  the  daughter 


H2       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

of  three  mothers,  the  granddaughter  of  three  grand- 
mothers, and  the  sister  of  nine  brothers.  Do  me  a 
kindness,  grandmother ;  tell  me  where  Peerless  Beauty 
is  living,  and  how  I  may  reach  her." 

"  But,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  I  know  not  myself;  I  am 
ending  the  ninth  ten  of  years,  and  I  have  not  heard  of 
that  beauty.  But  sleep  now  with  God ;  in  the  morn- 
ing I  will  summon  my  answer-givers,  —  maybe  one 
of  them  knows." 

Next  day  the  old  woman  rose  early,  washed  her- 
self very  white,  came  out  with  Ivan  Tsarevich  on  the 
porch,  cried  with  a  champion's  voice,  whistled  with  a 
hero's  whistle.  She  cried  to  the  sea-fish  and  crea- 
tures of  the  water,  "  Come  hither." 

That  instant  the  blue  sea  boiled  up,  the  fish,  great 
and  small,  came  together,  all  creatures  assembled  and 
went  toward  the  shore ;  they  covered  the  water. 

The  old  woman  asked :  "  Where  lives  Peerless 
Beauty,  the  daughter  of  three  mothers,  the  grand- 
daughter of  three  grandmothers,  the  sister  of  nine 
brothers  ?  " 

All  the  fish  and  all  the  creatures  answered  in  one 
voice:  "We  have  not  seen  her  with  sight,  nor  heard 
of  her  with  hearing." 

The  old  woman  shouted  over  the  land :  "  Assemble, 
ye  beasts  of  the  forest." 

The  beasts  run ;  they  hide  the  earth.  In  one  voice 
they  answer :  "  We  have  not  seen  her  with  sight,  nor 
heard  her  with  hearing." 


Koshchei  Without- Death.  113 

The  old  woman  cried  toward  the  sky :  "  Come  hither, 
ye  birds  of  the  air !  " 

The  birds  fly,  they  hide  the  light  of  day.  In  one 
voice  they  answer:  "  We  have  not  seen  her  with 
sight,  we  have  not  heard  her  with  hearing." 

"  There  is  no  one  else  to  ask,"  said  the  old  woman. 
She  took  Ivan  Tsarevich  by  the  hand  and  led  him 
into  the  room.  They  had  just  come  in  when  the 
Mogol  bird  arrived  on  the  wing,  fell  to  the  ground. 
There  was  no  light  in  the  window. 

"  Oh,  thou  Mogol  bird,  where  hast  thou  been  fly- 
ing ;  why  art  thou  late  ?  " 

"  I  was  arraying  Peerless  Beauty  for  mass." 

"  Thou  hast  the  news  I  need.  Now  do  me  a 
service  with  faith  and  truth,  —  carry  Ivan  Tsarevich 
to  her." 

"  Gladly  would  I  serve,  but  much  food  is  needed." 

"  How  much?  " 

"  Three  forties  of  beef,  and  a  vessel  of  water." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  filled  the  vessel  with  water,  brought 
oxen  with  beef.  He  put  the  kegs  on  the  bird,  ran  to 
the  forge,  and  had  a  long  iron  lance  made  for  him- 
self ;  he  came  back  and  took  farewell  of  the  old 
woman.  "  Good-by,"  said  he.  "  Feed  my  good  steed 
enough ;  I  will  pay  thee  for  everything." 

He  sat  on  the  Mogol  bird,  and  that  moment  it  rose 
up  and  flew;  it  flew  and  looked  around  continually. 
When  it  looked,  Ivan  Tsarevich  immediately  gave 
a  piece  of  meat  on  the  end  of  his  lance.  Now 

8 


ii4        Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

it  was  flying  and  flying  no  short  time.  The  Tsare- 
vich  had  already  given  two  kegs  of  beef,  and 
had  begun  on  the  third ;  and  he  said,  "  O  Mogol 
bird,  fall  to  the  damp  earth;  small  nourishment  is 
left." 

"  What  art  thou  saying,  Ivan  Tsarevich?  Below 
us  are  sleeping  forests  and  sticky  morasses ;  we  could 
not  escape  to  the  end  of  our  lives." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  gave  out  all  the  beef  and  threw 
down  the  kegs;  but  the  Mogol  bird  flies,  looks 
around.  What  can  be  done  ?  Ivan  Tsarevich 
thought  a  while,  cut  off  the  calves  of  his  own  legs, 
and  gave  them  to  the  bird.  It  swallowed  them,  and 
flew  out  over  the  green  meadow,  silken  grass,  blue 
flowers,  then  dropped  to  the  earth.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
stood  on  his  feet,  walked  along  the  meadow,  was 
lame  of  both  legs. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Ivan  Tsarevich?  Art  thou 
lame?" 

"  I  am  lame,  Mogol  bird ;  a  little  while  ago  I  cut 
off  my  calves  to  nourish  thee." 

The  Mogol  bird  coughed  up  the  calves,  put  them 
on  the  legs  of  Ivan  Tsarevich,  blew  and  spat;  the 
calves  grew  to  their  places,  and  the  Tsarevich  went 
on  in  strength  and  activity.  He  came  to  a  great 
town,  and  stopped  to  rest  with  a  grandmother  living 
in  a  backyard. 

" Sleep,  Ivan  Tsarevich;  in  the  morning,  when  the 
bell  rings,  I  '11  rouse  thee." 


Koshchei  Without- Death.  115 

Ivan  Tsarevich  lay  down  and  slept  that  minute; 
he  slept  the  day,  slept  the  night.  The  bells  rang  for 
early  prayers,  the  backyard  grandmother  ran  to  him, 
fell  to  beating  him  with  whatever  she  found  at  hand, 
but  could  not  rouse  him.  The  morning  prayers  were 
over,  they  rang  for  mass;  Peerless  Beauty  went  to 
church.  The  old  grandmother  came  again,  and  went 
to  work  again  at  Ivan  Tsarevich,  beat  him  with  what- 
ever came  under  her  hands;  with  great  effort  she 
woke  him.  Ivan  Tsarevich  sprang  up  very  quickly, 
washed  himself  very  white,  dressed,  and  went  to 
mass.  He  came  to  the  church,  prayed  before  the 
images,  bowed  down  on  every  side,  and  especially 
to  Peerless  Beauty.  They  stood  side  by  side  and 
prayed.  At  the  end  of  mass  she  went  first  to  the 
cross,  then  he  went  out  on  a  platform,  looked  at 
the  blue  sea ;  ships  are  approaching,  six  champions 
came  to  offer  marriage. 

The  champions  saw  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  began  to 
ridicule  him :  "  Oh,  thou  country  clown,  is  such  a 
beauty  as  this  for  thee?  Thou  art  not  worth  her 
middle  finger !  " 

They  said  this  once,  they  said  it  twice,  they  said 
it  thrice.  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  offended.  He  swung 
his  arm,  there  was  a  street;  he  swung  it  a  second 
time,  the  place  was  clear  and  smooth  all  around. 
Then  he  went  to  the  old  grandmother. 

"Well,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  hast  thou  seen  Peerless 
Beauty?" 


n6       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  I  have,  and  I  shall  not  forget  her  for  an  age.'* 

"  Now  lie  down  to  sleep.  To-morrow  thou  wilt  go 
to  mass  again ;  I  will  wake  thee  the  minute  the  bell 
rings." 

The  Tsarevich  lay  down;  he  slept  the  day,  he 
slept  the  night.  The  bell  rang  for  early  prayers; 
the  grandmother  ran  to  him,  began  to  rouse  him ; 
whatever  happened  under  her  hand,  with  that  she 
beat  him ;  but  she  could  n't  wake  him.  They  rang 
the  bell  for  mass;  again  she  beat  him  and  roused 
him.  Ivan  Tsarevich  sprang  up  very  quickly,  washed 
very  white,  dressed,  and  to  church.  He  entered, 
prayed  to  the  images,  bowed  on  all  four  sides,  es- 
pecially to  Peerless  Beauty.  She  looked  at  him  and 
blushed.  They  stood  side  by  side,  prayed  to  God. 
At  the  end  of  mass  she  went  to  the  cross  first,  he 
second.  The  Tsarevich  went  out  on  a  platform, 
looked  on  the  blue  sea;  ships  were  sailing,  twelve 
champions  came.  They  began  to  ask  Peerless 
Beauty  in  marriage,  and  ;to  make  sport  of  Ivan 
Tsarevich  :  "  Oh,  thou  country  clown,  is  such  a 
beauty  for  thee?  Thou  art  not  worth  her  middle 
finger ! " 

He  was  offended  at  these  speeches.  He  swung 
his  arm,  there  was  a  street;  he  swung  the  other,  the 
place  was  clear  and  smooth  around. 

He  went  to  the  old  grandmother.  "  Hast  thou 
seen  Peerless  Beauty?"  asked  she. 

"I  have,  and  for  an  age  I  shall  not  forget  her." 


Koshckei  Without-Death.  117 

"  Well,  sleep  now ;  in  the  morning  I  will  wake  thee." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  slept  the  day,  he  slept  the  night; 
they  rang  the  bell  for  morning  prayers  ;  the  old 
woman  ran  in  to  wake  him,  beat  him  with  whatever 
happened  under  her  hand,  did  not  spare,  but  could 
not  rouse  him.  They  rang  the  bell  for  mass,  and 
she  was  working  away  all  the  time  at  the  Tsarevich. 
At  last  she  roused  him.  He  rose  up  quickly,  washed 
himself  very  white,  prepared,  dressed,  and  to  church. 
When  he  came  he  prayed  to  the  images,  bowed  on 
all  four  sides,  and  separately  to  Peerless  Beauty. 
She  saluted  him,  put  him  at  her  right  hand,  and  she 
stood  at  the  left.  They  stand  there,  pray  to  God. 
At  the  end  of  mass  he  went  first  to  the  cross,  she 
after  him.  The  Tsarevich  went  out  on  the  platform, 
looked  on  the  blue  sea  ;  ships  are  sailing,  and 
twenty-four  champions  come  to  offer  marriage  to 
Peerless  Beauty. 

The  champions  saw  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  straight- 
way began  to  make  sport  of  him  :  "Oh,  country 
clown,  is  such  a  beauty  for  thee?  Thou  art  not 
worth  her  middle  finger !  " 

They  attacked  him  on  every  side  to  take  away  his 
bride.  Ivan  Tsarevich  did  not  endure  this.  He 
swung  his  arm,  there  was  a  street;  he  swung  the 
other,  the  place  was  smooth  and  clear  around.  He 
killed  all  to  the  last  man.  Peerless  Beauty  took  him 
by  the  hand,  led  him  to  her  chambers,  seated  him  at 
the  oaken  tables,  at  the  spread  cloths,  entertained 


n8       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

him,  called  him  her  bridegroom.  Soon  after  they 
prepared  for  the  road  and  set  out  for  the  land  of 
Ivan  Tsarevich.  They  travelled  and  travelled,  halted 
in  the  open  field  to  rest.  Peerless  Beauty  lay  down 
to  sleep,  and  Ivan  Tsarevich  guarded  her  slumber. 
When  she  had  slept  enough,  and  woke  up,  the  Tsa- 
revich said  :  "  Peerless  Beauty,  guard  my  white 
body;  I  will  lie  down  to  sleep." 

"  But  wilt  thou  sleep  long?  " 

"  Nine  days  and  nights ;  and  I  shall  not  turn  from 
one  side  to  the  other.  If  thou  tryest  to  wake  me, 
theu  wilt  not  rouse  me.  When  the  time  comes  I 
shall  wake  myself." 

"  It  is  long,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;   I  shall  be  wearied." 

"  Wearied  or  not,  there  is  no  help  for  it." 

He  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  slept  exactly  nine  days 
and  nights.  Meanwhile  Koshchei  Without-Death 
bore  away  Peerless  Beauty  to  his  own  kingdom. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  woke  up;  there  was  no  Peerless 
Beauty.  He  began  to  weep,  and  went  along  neither 
by  the  road  nor  the  way.  Whether  it  was  long  or 
short,  he  came  to  the  kingdom  of  Koshchei  Without- 
Death,  and  begged  lodgings  of  an  old  woman. 

"  Well,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  why  art  thou  so  sad 
looking?  " 

"  Thus  and  thus,  grandmother;  I  had  everything, 
now  I  have  nothing." 

"  Thy  affair  is  a  bad  one,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  thou 
canst  not  kill  Koshchei." 


Koshchei  Without-Death.  119 

"  Well,  I  will  look  on  my  bride  at  least." 

"  Lie  down,  sleep  till  morning;  to-morrow  Koshche"i 
will  go  to  war." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  lay  down,  but  sleep  di'd  not  come 
to  his  mind.  In  the  morning  Koshchei  went  out  of 
the  house,  and  Ivan  Tsarevich  went  in.  He  stood  at 
the  gate  and  knocked.  Peerless  Beauty  opened  it, 
looked  at  him,  and  fell  to  weeping.  They  went  to 
the  upper  chamber,  sat  at  the  table,  and  talked. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  instructed  her.  "  Ask  Koshche"  i  where 
his  death  is." 

"  I  will." 

He  had  just  left  the  house  when  Koshche*i  came  in. 
"  Oh  !  "  said  he,  "  it  smells  of  the  Russian  bone ;  it 
must  be  that  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  with  thee." 

"  What  art  thou  thinking  of,  Koshchei  Without- 
Death?  Where  could  I  see  Ivan  Tsarevich.  He 
has  remained  in  slumbering  forests  and  in  sticky 
quagmires  ;  wild  beasts  have  destroyed  him  ere 
now." 

They  sat  down  to  sup.  At  supper  Peerless  Beauty 
said :  "  Tell  me,  Koshchei  Without-Death,  where  is 
thy  death?" 

"Why  dost  thou  wish  to  know,  silly  woman? 
My  death  is  tied  up  in  the  broom." 

Early  next  morning  Koshchei  went  to  war.  Ivan 
Tsarevich  came  to  Peerless  Beauty.  She  took  the 
broom,  gilded  it  brightly  with  pure  gold.  The 
Tsarevich  had  just  departed  when  Koshche'i  came 


I2O       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

in.  "  Ah  !  "  said  he,  "  it  smells  of  the  Russian  bone ; 
Ivan  Tsarevich  has  been  with  thee." 

"  What  dost  thou  mean,  Koshchei  Without-Death? 
Thou  hast  been  flying  through  Russia  thyself  and 
hast  caught  up  the  odor  of  Russia ;  it  is  from  thee. 
Where  should  I  see  Ivan  Tsarevich?  " 

At  supper  Peerless  Beauty  sat  on  a  small  bench 
and  seated  Koshchei  on  a  large  one.  He  looked 
under  the  threshold;  the  broom  was  lying  there 
gilded.  "What  does  this  mean?" 

"  Oh,  Koshchei  Without-Death,  thou  seest  thyself 
ihow  I  honor  thee !  " 

"  Oh,  simple  woman,  I  was  joking !  My  death  is 
^out  there,  fastened  in  the  oak  fence." 

Next  day  Koshchei  went  away.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
came  and  gilded  the  whole  fence.  Towards  evening 
Koshchei  came  home.  "  Ah !  "  said  he,  "  it  smells 
of  the  Russian  bone.  Ivan  Tsarevich  has  been  with 
thee." 

"What  dost  thou  mean,  Koshche'i  Without-Death? 
It  seems  I  have  told  thee  times  more  than  one, 
where  am  I  to  see  Ivan  Tsarevich?  He  has  remained 
;in  dark  forests,  in  sticky  quagmires ;  the  wild  beasts 
have  torn  him  to  pieces  ere  now." 

Supper-time  came.  Peerless  Beauty  sat  on  a  bench 
herself,  and  seated  him  on  a  chair.  Koshchei  looked 
through  the  window,  saw  the  fence  gilded,  shining 
like  fire.  "What  is  that?" 

"  Thou  seest  thyself,  Koshche'i,  how  I  respect  thee. 


Koshchei  Without- Death.  121 

If  thou  art  dear  to  me,  of  importance  is  thy 
death." 

This  speech  pleased  Koshchei  Without-Death. 
"  Oh,  simple  woman,  I  was  joking  with  thee !  My 
death  is  in  an  egg,  the  egg  is  in  a  duck,  and  the 
duck  is  in  a  stump  floating  on  the  sea." 

When  Koshche'i  went  off  to  war,  Peerless  Beauty 
baked  cakes  for  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  told  him  where 
to  look  for  the  death  of  Koshchei.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
went  neither  by  road  nor  by  way,  came  to  the  ocean 
sea  broad,  and  knew  not  where  to  go  farther.  The 
cakes  had  long  since  given  out,  and  he  had  nothing 
to  eat.  All  at  once  a  hawk  flew  up.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
aimed.  "Well,  hawk,  I  '11  shoot  thee  and  eat  thee  raw." 

"  Do  not  eat  me,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  I  will  serve  thee 
in  time  of  need." 

A  bear  ran  along.  "  Oh,  bear,  crooked  paw,  I  '11 
kill  thee  and  eat  thee  raw !  " 

"  Do  not  eat  me,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  I  '11  serve  in  time 
of  need." 

Behold,  a  pike  is  struggling  on  the  beach.  "  Oh, 
big-toothed  pike,  thou  hast  come  to  it !  I  '11  eat  thee 
raw." 

"  Eat  me  not,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  better  throw  me  into 
the  sea.  I  will  serve  thee  in  time  of  need." 

Ivan  stood  there  thinking,  "  The  time  of  need  will 
come,  it  is  unknown  when.  But  now  I  must  go 
hungry."  All  at  once  the  blue  sea  boiled  up,  waves 
rose,  began  to  cover  the  shore.  Ivan  Tsarevich  ran 


122       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

up  the  hill,  ran  with  all  his  might,  and  the  water 
followed  at  his  heels;  chasing,  he  ran  to  the  very 
highest  place  and  climbed  a  tree.  A  little  later  the 
water  began  to  fall,  the  sea  grew  calm,  fell,  and  a 
great  stump  was  left  on  land.  The  bear  ran  up, 
raised  the  stump,  and  when  he  had  hurled  it  to  the 
ground  the  stump  opened ;  out  flew  a  duck  and 
soared  high,  high.  That  minute,  from  wherever  he 
came,  the  hawk  flew,  caught  the  duck,  and  in  a 
twinkle  tore  her  in  two.  An  egg  fell  out ;  then  the 
pike  caught  it,  swam  to  the  beach,  and  gave  the 
egg  to  Ivan  Tsarevich,  who  put  it  in  his  bosom 
and  went  to  Koshchei  Without-Death.  He  came 
to  the  house.  Peerless  Beauty  met  him,  she  kissed 
him  on  the  lips  and  fell  on  his  shoulder.  Koshchei 
Without-Death  was  sitting  at  the  window  cursing. 

"  Oh,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  thou  wishest  to  take  Peerless 
Beauty  from  me ;  and  so  thou  wilt  not  live." 

"  Thou  didst  take  her  from  me  thyself,"  answered 
Ivan  Tsarevich,  took  the  egg  from  his  bosom,  and 
showed  it  to  Koshchei.  "  What  is  this?  " 

The  light  grew  dim  in  the  eyes  of  Koshche'i ;  then 
he  became  mild  and  obedient.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
threw  the  egg  from  one  hand  to  the  other.  Koshche'i 
Without-Death  staggered  from  corner  to  corner. 
This  seemed  pleasant  to  the  Tsarevich.  He  threw 
the  egg  more  quickly  from  hand  to  hand,  and  broke 
it;  then  Koshche'i  fell  and  died. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  attached  the  horses  to  his  golden 


Koshchei  Without -Death.  123 

carriage,  took  whole  bags  filled  with  gold  and  silver, 
and  went  to  his  father.  Whether  it  was  long  or 
short,  he  came  to  that  old  woman  who  had  inquired 
of  every  creature,  fish,  bird,  and  beast.  He  found 
his  steed.  "  Glory  be  to  God,"  said  he,  "  the  raven 
(black  steed)  is  alive ;  "  and  he  poured  forth  gold 
freely  for  her  care  of  the  steed.  Though  she  were 
to  live  ninety-nine  years  longer,  she  would  have 
enough.  Then  the  Tsarevich  sent  a  swift  courier  to 
the  Tsar  with  a  letter,  in  which  he  wrote :  "  Father, 
meet  thy  son ;  I  am  coming  with  my  bride,  Peerless 
Beauty." 

His  father  got  the  letter,  read  it,  and  had  not  belief. 
"  How  could  that  be?  Ivan  Tsarevich  left  home 
when  nine  days  old !  "  After  the  courier  came  the 
Tsarevich  himself.  The  Tsar  saw  that  his  son  had 
written  the  real  truth ;  he  ran  out  to  the  porch,  met 
him,  and  gave  command  to  beat  drums  and  sound 
music. 

"  Father,  bless  me  for  the  wedding." 

Tsars  have  not  to  brew  beer  nor  make  wine ;  they 
have  much  of  all  things.  That  same  day  there  was 
a  joyous  feast  and  a  wedding.  They  crowned  Ivan 
Tsarevich  and  Peerless  Beauty,  and  put  out  on  all 
streets  great  jars  of  various  drinks ;  every  one  could 
come  and  drink  what  his  soul  desired.  I  was  there, 
drank  mead  and  wine;  it  flowed  on  my  mustaches, 
but  was  not  in  my  mouth. 


VASSILISSA   GOLDEN   TRESS,   BAREHEADED 
BEAUTY. 

THERE  lived  a  Tsar  Svaitozar.  This  Tsar  had 
two  sons  and  a  beauty  of  a  daughter.  Twenty 
years  did  she  live  in  her  bright  chamber.  The  Tsar 
and  Tsaritsa  admired  her,  and  so  did  the  nurses  and 
maidens ;  but  no  one  of  the  princes  and  champions 
had  seen  her  face.  And  this  beauty  was  called  Vassi- 
lissa  Golden  Tress.  She  went  nowhere  out  of  her 
chamber ;  the  Tsarevna  did  not  breathe  the  free  air. 
She  had  many  bright  dresses  and  jewels,  but  was 
wearied ;  it  was  oppressive  for  her  in  the  chamber. 
Her  robes  were  a  burden,  her  thick  golden  silk  hair, 
covered  with  nothing,  bound  in  a  tress,  fell  to  her 
feet,  and  people  called  her  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress, 
Bareheaded  Beauty.  The  kingdom  was  filled  with 
her  fame.  Many  Tsars  heard  of  her  and  sent  envoys 
to  Tsar  Svaitozar  to  beat  with  the  forehead  and  ask 
the  Tsarevna  in  marriage. 

The  Tsar  was  in  no  hurry,  but  when  the  time  came, 
he  sent  messengers  to  all  lands  with  tidings  that  the 
Tsarevna  would  choose  a  bridegroom;  and  inviting 
Tsars  and  Tsareviches  to  assemble  and  collect  at  his 
palace  to  feast,  he  went  himself  to  the  lofty  chamber 


Vassilissa  Golden   Tress.  125 

to  tell  Vassilissa  the  Beautiful.  It  was  gladsome  in 
the  heart  of  the  Tsarevna.  Looking  out  of  the  slop- 
ing window  from  behind  the  golden  lattice  on  the 
green  garden,  the  flowery  meadow,  she  was  eager  to 
walk ;  she  asked  him  to  let  her  go  forth  to  the  garden 
to  play  with  the  maidens.  "  My  sovereign  father," 
said  she,  "  I  have  not  seen  the  world  of  God  yet,  I 
have  not  walked  on  the  grass,  on  the  flowers,  I  have 
not  looked  on  thy  palace ;  let  me  go  with  my  nurses 
and  maidens  to  walk  in  thy  garden." 

The  Tsar  permitted,  and  Vassilissa  the  Beautiful 
went  down  from  the  lofty  chamber  to  the  broad  court. 
The  plank  gate  was  open,  and  she  appeared  in  the 
green  meadow.  In  front  was  a  steep  mountain ;  on 
that  mountain  grew  curly  trees ;  on  the  meadow 
were  beautiful  flowers  of  many  kinds.  The  Tsarevna 
plucked  blue  flowers,  stepped  aside  a  little  from  her 
nurses ;  there  was  no  caution  in  her  young  mind ; 
her  face  was  exposed,  her  beauty  uncovered.  Sud- 
denly a  mighty  whirlwind  rose,  such  as  had  not  been 
seen,  heard  of,  or  remembered  by  old  people ;  the 
whirlwind  turned  and  twisted  — behold,  it  seized  the 
Tsarevna  and  carried  her  through  the  air. 

The  nurses  screamed  and  shrieked :  they  ran  and 
stumbled,  threw  themselves  on  every  side;  they  saw 
nothing  but  how  the  whirlwind  shot  away  with  her. 
And  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress  was  borne  over  many 
lands,  across  deep  rivers,  through  three  kingdoms  into 
the  fourth,  into  the  dominions  of  the  Savage  Serpent 


126       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  nurses  hurry  to  the  palace,  covering  them- 
selves with  tears,  throw  themselves  at  the  feet  of  the 
Tsar.  "  Sovereign,  we  are  not  answerable  for  the 
misfortune,  we  are  answerable  to  thee.  Give  not  com- 
mand to  slay  us,  command  us  to  speak.  The  whirl- 
wind bore  away  our  ^un,  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress,  the 
Beauty,  and  it  is  unknown  whither." 

The  Tsar  was  sad,  he  was  angry ;  but  in  his  anger 
he  pardoned  the  poor  women. 

Next  morning  the  princes  and  kings'  sons  came  to 
the  Tsar's  palace,  and  seeing  the  sadness  and  serious- 
ness of  the  Tsar  they  asked  him  what  had  happened. 

"There  is  a  sin  to  my. account,"  said  the  Tsar. 
"  My  dear  daughter,  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress,  has  been 
borne  away  by  the  whirlwind,  I  know  not  whither;  " 
and  he  told  everything  as  it  had  happened. 

Talk  rose  among  the  guests,  and  the  princes  and 
kings'  sons  thought  and  talked  among  themselves. 
"  Is  not  the  Tsar  refusing  us ;  is  he  not  unwilling 
to  let  us  see  his  daughter?"  They  rushed  to  the 
chamber  of  the  Tsarevna;  nowhere  did  they  find 
her. 

The  Tsar  made  them  presents,  gave  to  each  one 
from  his  treasure.  They  mounted  their  steeds,  he 
conducted  them  with  honor;  the  bright  guests  took 
farewell,  and  went  to  their  own  lands. 

The  two  young  Tsareviches,  brave  brothers  of  Vas- 
silissa Golden  Tress,  seeing  the  tears  of  their  father 
and  mother,  begged  of  their  parents :  "  Let  us  go, 


Vassilissa  Golden   Tress.  127 

our  father,  —  bless  us,  our  mother,  —  to  find  your 
daughter,  our  sister." 

"  My  dear  sons,  my  own  children,"  said  the  Tsar, 
without  joy,  "  where  will  ye  go?  " 

"We  will  go,  father,  everywhere, — where  a  road 
lies,  where  a  bird  flies,  where  the  eyes  have  vision ; 
mayhap  we  shall  find  her." 

The  Tsar  gave  his  blessing,  the  Tsaritsa  prepared 
them  for  the  journey;  they  wept,  and  they  parted. 

The  two  Tsareviches  journeyed  on.  Whether  the 
road  was  near  or  far,  long  in  going  or  short,  they  did 
not  know.  They  travelled  a  year,  they  travelled  two. 
They  passed  three  kingdoms,  lofty  mountains  were 
visible  and  seemed  blue;  between  these  mountains 
were  sandy  plains,  —  the  land  of  the  Savage  Serpent. 
And  the  Tsareviches  inquired  of  those  whom  they 
met  had  they  not  heard,  had  they  not  seen,  where 
Tsarevna  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress  was.  And  from 
all  the  answer  was  one:  "We  know  not  where  she 
is,  and  we  have  not  heard." 

The  Tsar's  sons  approach  a  great  town;  a  de- 
crepit old  man  stands  on  the  road;  crooked-eyed 
and  lame,  with  a  crutch  and  a  bag,  he  begs  alms. 
The  Tsareviches  stopped,  threw  him  a  silver  coin, 
and  asked  had  he  not  seen,  had  he  not  heard  of 
the  Tsarevna  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress,  Bareheaded 
Beauty? 

"Ah!  my  friend,"  said  the  old  man,  "it  is  clear 
that  thou  art  from  a  strange  land.  Our  ruler,  the 


128       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Savage  Serpent,  has  forbidden  strongly  and  sternly 
to  speak  with  men  from  abroad.  We  are  forbidden 
under  penalty  to  tell  or  relate  how  a  whirlwind  bore 
past  the  town  the  beautiful  princess." 

Now  the  sons  of  the  Tsar  understood  that  their 
sister  was  near.  They  urged  on  their  restive  steeds 
and  approached  the  castle  of  gold  which  stood  on  a 
single  pillar  of  silver;  over  the  castle  was  a  curtain 
of  diamonds ;  the  stairways,  mother-of-pearl,  opened 
and  closed  like  wings. 

At  this  moment  Vassilissa  the  Beautiful  was  look- 
ing in  sadness  through  the  golden  lattice,  and  she 
screamed  out  for  joy.  She  knew  her  brothers  from 
a  distance,  just  as  if  her  heart  had  told  her.  And 
the  Tsarevna  sent  down  in  silence  to  meet  them,  to 
bring  them  to  the  castle ;  the  Savage  Serpent  was 
absent. 

Vassilissa  the  Beautiful  was  wary ;  she  feared  the 
serpent  might  see  them.  They  had  barely  entered 
when  the  silver  pillar  groaned,  the  stairways  opened, 
all  the  roofs  glittered ;  the  whole  castle  began  to  turn 
and  move.  The  Tsarevna  was  frightened,  and  said  to 
her  brothers:  "The  serpent  is  coming,  the  serpent 
is  coming;  that's  why  the  castle  goes  round  !  Hide, 
brothers !  " 

She  had  barely  said  this  when  the  Savage  Serpent 
flew  in,  cried  with  a  thundering  voice,  and  whistled 
with  a  hero's  whistle :  "  What  living  man  is  here?  " 

"  We,  Savage  Serpent,"  answered  the  Tsar's  sons, 


Vassilissa  Golden   Tress.  129 

without  fear;   "from  our  birthplace  we 've  come  for 
our  sister." 

"  Oh,  the  young  men  are  here !  "  shouted  the  ser- 
pent, clapping  his  wings.  "  Ye  should  not  die  here 
from  me,  nor  seek  your  sister  to  free ;  her  own  broth- 
ers, champions,  are  ye,  but  champions  puny  I  see." 
And  the  serpent  caught  one  of  them  with  his  wing, 
struck  him  against  the  other,  whistled  and  shouted. 
The  castle  guard  ran  to  him,  took  the  dead  Tsare- 
viches,  threw  them  both  down  a  deep  ditch. 

The  Tsarevna  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress  covered 
herself  with  tears,  took  neither  food  nor  drink,  would 
not  look  on  the  world.  Two  days  and  three  passed. 
It  was  not  right  she  should  die,  she  did  not  decide  to 
die ;  she  took  pity  on  her  beauty,  took  counsel  of 
hunger.  On  the  third  day  she  ate,  and  was  thinking 
how  to  free  herself  from  the  serpent,  and  began  to 
gain  knowledge  by  wheedling. 

"  Savage  Serpent,"  said  she,  "  great  is  thy  power, 
mighty  thy  flight :  is  it  possible  that  thou  hast  no  foe?" 

"  Not  yet,"  replied  the  serpent ;  "  it  was  fated  at 
my  birth  that  my  foe  should  be  Ivan  Goroh  [John 
Pea]  ;  and  he  will  be  born  from  a  pea." 

The  serpent  said  this  in  jest;  he  expected  no  foe. 
The  strong  one  relied  on  his  strength ;  but  the  jest 
came  true. 

The  mother  of  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress  was  griev- 
ing because  she  had  no  news  of  her  children  after 
the  Tsarevna,  the  Tsareviches,  were  lost. 

9 


130       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

She  went  one  day  to  walk  in  the  garden  with  her 
ladies;  the  day  was  hot,  she  was  thirsty.  In  that 
garden,  from  a  foot-hill,  spring  water  ran  forth  in  a 
stream,  and  above  it  was  a  white  marble  well.  They 
drew,  with  a  golden  cup,  water  pure  as  a  tear.  The 
Tsaritsa  was  eager  to  drink,  and  with  the  water  she 
swallowed  a  pea.  The  pea  burst,  and  the  Tsaritsa 
became  heavy;  the  pea  increased  and  grew.  In 
time  the  Tsaritsa  gave  birth  to  a  son ;  they  called 
him  Ivan  Goroh,  and  he  grew,  not  by  the  year,  but 
by  the  hour,  smooth  and  plump ;  he  is  lively,  laughs, 
jumps,  springs  on  the  sand,  and  his  strength  is  grow- 
ing in  him  all  the  time,  so  that  at  ten  years  he  was 
a  mighty  champion.  Then  he  asked  the  Tsar  and 
Tsaritsa  if  he  had  had  many  brothers  and  sisters,  and 
rhe  heard  how  it  happened  that  the  whirlwind  had 
.borne  away  his  sister,  it  was  unknown  whither,  how 
his  two  brothers  had  begged  to  go  in  search  of  their 
sister,  and  were  lost  without  tidings. 

"  Father,  mother,"  begged  Ivan  Goroh,  "  let  me 
go  too ;  give  me  your  blessing  to  find  my  brothers 
and  sister." 

"What  art  thou  saying,  my  child?"  asked  the 
Tsar  and  Tsaritsa  at  once.  "  Thou  art  still  green 
and  young ;  thy  brothers  went,  they  were  lost,  thou 
wilt  go  too  and  be  lost." 

"  Mayhap  I  shall  not  be  lost,"  said  Ivan  Goroh. 
"  I  want  to  find  my  brothers  and  sister." 

The  Tsar  and  Tsaritsa  persuaded  and  begged  their 


Vassilissa  Golden  Tress.  131 

dear  son,  but  he  craved,  cried,  and  entreated.     They 
prepared  him  for  the  road,  let  him  go  with  tears. 

Ivan  Goroh  was  free.  He  went  out  into  the  open 
field,  travelled  one  day,  travelled  another.  Toward 
night  he  came  to  a  dark  forest ;  in  that  forest  was  a 
cabin  on  hen's  legs ;  from  the  wind  it  was  shaking  and  ( > 
turning.  Ivan  spoke  from  the  old  saying,  from  his 
nurse's  tale.  "  Cabin,  cabin,"  said  he,  "  turn  thy  back 
to  the  forest,  thy  front  to  me ;  "  and  the  cabin  turned 
around  to  Ivan.  Out  of  the  window  an  old  woman  was 
looking,  and  she  asked,  "  Whom  is  God  bringing?" 

Ivan  bowed,  and  hastened  to  ask :  "  Hast  thou  not 
seen,  grandmother,  in  what  direction  the  passing 
whirlwind  carries  beautiful  maidens?" 

"  Oh,  young  man,"  said  she,  coughing,  and  looking 
at  Ivan,  "  that  whirlwind  has  frightened  me  too,  so 
that  I  sit  in  this  cabin  a  hundred  and  twenty  years, 
and  I  go  out  nowhere  !  Maybe  he  would  fly  up  and 
sweep  me  away.  That  's  not  a  whirlwind,  but  the 
Savage  Serpent." 

"  How  could  one  go  to  him?  "  asked  Ivan. 

"  What  art  thou  thinking  of,  my  world  ?  The  serpent 
will  swallow  thee." 

"  Maybe  he  will  not  swallow  me." 

"  See  to  it,  champion,  or  thou  wilt  not  save  thy 
head.  But  shouldst  thou  come  back,  give  me  thy 
word  to  bring  from  the  serpent's  castle  water  with 
which,  if  a  man  sprinkles  himself,  he  will  grow 
young,"  said  she,  moving  her  teeth  beyond  measure. 


132       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  I  will  get  it,  grandmother,  I  give  thee  my  word." 
"  I  believe   thee,  on  conscience !     Go  straight  to 
where  the  sun  sets.>     In  one  year  thou  wilt  reach  the 
bald  mountain  there ;  ask  for  the  road  to  the  serpent's 
kingdom." 

"  God  save  thee,  grandmother !  " 
"  There  is  no  reason  for  thanks,  father." 
Well,  Ivan  Goroh  went  to  the  land  where  the  sun 
sets.     A^story  is  soon  told,  but  a  deed  's  not  soon 
done.     He  passed  three  kingdoms,  and  went  to  the 
serpent's  land ;  before  the  gates  of  the  town  he  saw  a 
beggar,  —  a  lame,  blind  old  man  with  a  crutch,  —  and 
giving  him  charity,  he  asked  if  the  young  Tsarevna 
Vassilissa  Golden  Tress  was  in  that  town. 

"  She  is,  but  it  is  forbidden  to  say  so,"  answered 
the  beggar. 

Ivan  knew  that  his  sister  was  there ;  the  good,  bold 
hero  became  courageous,  and  went  to  the  palace. 
At  that  time  Vassilissa  Golden  Tress  was  looking  out 
of  the  window  to  see  if  the  Savage  Serpent  was  com- 
ing; and  she  saw  from  afar  the  young  champion, 
wished  to  know  of  him,  sent  quietly  to  learn  from 
what  land  he  had  come,  of  what  stock  was  he,  was 
he  sent  by  her  father  or  by  her  own  mother. 

Hearing  that  Ivan,  her  youngest  brother,  had  come 
(and  she  did  not  know  him  by  sight),  Vassilissa  ran 
to  him,  wet  him  with  tears.  "  Run,  brother,  quickly  !  " 
cried  she.  "  The  serpent  will  soon  be  here ;  he  will 
see  thee,  destroy  thee." 


Vassilissa  Golden  Tress.  133 

"  My  dear  sister,"  answered  Ivan,  "  if  another  had 
spoken,  I  should  not  have  listened.  I  have  no  fear 
of  the  serpent,  no  fear  of  his  strength." 

"  But  art  thou  Goroh,  "  asked  Vassilissa  Golden 
Tress,  "  to  manage  him?  " 

"  Wait,  friend  sister ;  first  give  me  to  drink.  I  have 
travelled  under  heat,  I  am  tired  from  the  road;  I 
want  a  drink." 

"  What  dost  thou  drink,  brother?" 

"  Three  gallons  of  sweet  mead,  dear  sister." 

Vassilissa  gave  command  to  bring  a  three-gallon 
measure  of  sweet  mead,  and  Goroh  drank  it  all  at 
one  breath.  He  asked  for  another;  the  Tsarevna 
gave  orders  to  hurry,  looked,  and  wondered. 

"  Well,  brother,  I  did  not  know  thee ;  but  now  I 
believe  that  thou  art  Ivan  Goroh ! " 

"  Let  me  sit  down  a  moment  to  rest  from  the 
road." 

Vassilissa  gave  command  to  bring  a  strong  chair ; 
but  the  chair  broke  under  Ivan,  flew  into  bits.  They 
brought  another  all  bound  with  iron,  and  that  one 
cracked  and  bent.  "  Oh,  brother,"  cried  Vassilissa, 
"  that  is  the  chair  of  the  Savage  Serpent !  " 

"  Now  it  is  clear  that  I  am  heavier  than  he,"  said 
Goroh,  laughing. 

He  rose  and  went  on  the  street,  went  from  the 
castle  to  the  forge ;  there  he  ordered  the  old  sage, 
the  serpent's  blacksmith,  to  forge  him  an  iron  club  of 
nine  tons  weight.  The  blacksmith  hastened  the  work. 


1 34       Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

They  hammered  the  iron ;  night  and  day  the  hammers 
thundered,  the  sparks  just  flying.  In  forty  hours  the 
work  was  done.  Fifty  men  were  barely  able  to  carry 
the  club;  but  Ivan  Goroh,  seizing  it  in  one  hand, 
hurled  the  club  to  the  sky:  it  flew,  roared  like  a 
storm,  whirled  above  the  clouds,  vanished  from  the 
eye.  All  the  people  ran  trembling  from  terror, 
thinking  if  that  club  falls  on  the  town,  it  will  break 
the  walls  and  crush  the  people ;  if  it  falls  in  the  sea, 
it  will  raise  the  sea  and  flood  the  town.  But  Ivan 
Goroh  went  quietly  to  the  castle,  and  gave  com- 
mand to  tell  when  the  club  was  coming.  The  people 
ran  from  the  square,  looked  from  under  the  gate, 
looked  out  of  windows.  "  Is  n't  the  club  coming?  " 
They  waited  an  hour,  they  waited  two ;  the  third  hour 
they  ran  to  say  that  the  club  was  coming.  Goroh 
sprang  to  the  square,  put  forth  his  hand,  caught 
the  club  as  it  came,  bent  not  himself,  but  the  iron 
bent  on  the  palm  of  his  hand.  Ivan  took  the  club, 
pressed  it  against  his  knee,  straightened  it,  went  to 
the  castle. 

All  at  once  a  terrible  whistling  was  heard,  the 
Savage  Serpent  was  racing;  Whirlwind,  his  steed, 
flying  like  an  arrow,  breathes  fire.  The  serpent  in 
shape  is  a  champion,  but  his  head  is  the  head  of  a 
serpent.  When  he  flies,  the  whole  castle  quivers ; 
when  he  is  ten  versts  distant,  it  begins  to  whirl  and 
dance.  But  now  the  castle  moves  not :  it  is  clear  that 
some  one  is  sitting  inside.  The  serpent  grew  thought- 


Vassilissa  Golden   Tress.  135 

ful,  whistled,  shouted ;  the  whirlwind  steed  shook  his 
dark  mane,  opened  his  broad  wings,  reared  and 
roared. 

The  serpent  flew  up  to  the  castle,  but  the  castle 
moves  not.  "  Ho !  "  roared  the  Savage  Serpent, 
"  it  is  plain  there  is  a  foe.  Is  not  Goroh  at  my 
house?"  Soon  came  the  champion.  "  I  '11  put  thee 
on  the  palm  of  one  hand,  and  slap  with  the  other: 
they  won't  find  thy  bones." 

"  We  shall  see,"  said  Ivan  Goroh. 

He  went  out  with  his  club,  and  the  serpent  cried 
from  his  whirlwind:  "  Take  thy  place  in  a  hurry." 

"  Take  thy  own  place,  Savage  Serpent,"  said  Ivan, 
and  raised  his  club. 

The  Savage  Serpent  flew  up  to  strike  Ivan,  to 
pierce  him  with  his  spear,  and  missed.  Goroh 
sprang  to  one  side,  did  not  stagger. 

"  Now  I  '11  finish  thee  !  "  roared  Goroh.  Raising  his 
club,  he  struck  the  serpent  a  blow  that  tore  him  to 
pieces,  scattered  him;  the  club  went  across  the  earth, 
went  through  two  kingdoms  into  a  third. 

The  people  hurled  up  their  caps  and  saluted  Ivan 
Tsar.  But  Ivan  seeing  the  wise  blacksmith,  as  a 
reward  for  having  made  the  club  quickly,  he  called 
up  the  old  man  and  said  to  the  people :  "  Here  is 
your  head ;  obey  him  while  doing  good,  as  before  ye 
obeyed  the  Savage  Serpent  for  evil." 

Ivan  got  also  the  water  of  life  and  the  water  of 
death,  sprinkled  his  brothers ;  they  rose  up,  rubbed 


136       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

their  eyes  and  thought,  "  We  slept  long ;  God  knows 
what  has  happened." 

"  Without  me  you  would  have  slept  forever,  my 
dear  brothers,"  said  Ivan  Goroh,  pressing  them  to  his 
restive  heart. 

He  did  not  forget  to  take  the  serpent's  water ;  he 
made  a  ship,  and  on  the  Swan's  river  sailed  with  Vas- 
silissa  Golden  Tress  to  his  own  land  through  three 
kingdoms  into  the  fourth.  He  did  not  forget  the  old 
woman  in  the  cabin ;  lie  let  her  wash  in  the  serpent's 
water.  She  turned  into  a  young  woman,  began  to 
sing  and  dance,  ran  out  after  Goroh,  and  conducted 
him  to  the  road. 

His  father  and  mother  met  him  with  joy  and  honor. 
They  sent  messengers  to  all  lands  with  tidings  that 
their  daughter  Vassilissa  had  returned.  In  the  town 
there  was  ringing,  and  in  the  ears  triple  ringing ;  trum- 
pets sounded,  drums  were  beaten,  guns  thundered. 

A  bridegroom  came  to  Vassilissa,  and  a  bride  was 
found  for  the  Tsarevich ;  they  had  four  crowns  made, 
and  celebrated  two  weddings.  At  the  rejoicing,  at 
the  gladness,  there  was  a  feast  as  a  mountain,  and 
mead  a  river. 

The  grandfathers  of  grandfathers  were  there ;  they 
drank  mead,  and  it  came  to  us,  flowed  on  our  mus- 
taches, but  reached  not  our  mouths.  Only  it  be- 
came known  that  Ivan,  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
received  the  crown,  and  ruled  the  land  with  renown ; 
and  age  after  age  the  name  of  Goroh  was  famous. 


THE  RING  WITH  TWELVE  SCREWS. 

THERE  lived  in  a  village  a  son  with  his  mother, 
and  the  mother  was  a  very  old  woman.  The 
son  was  called  Ivan  the  Fool.  They  lived  in  a  poor 
little  cottage  with  one  window,  and  in  great  poverty. 
Such  was  their  poverty  that  besides  dry  bread  they 
ate  almost  nothing,  and  sometimes  they  had  not  even 
the  dry  bread.  The  mother  would  sit  and  spin,  and 
Ivan  the  Fool  would  lie  on  the  stove,  roll  in  the  ashes, 
and  never  wipe  his  nose.  His  mother  would  say  to 
him  time  and  again :  "  Ivanushka,  thou  art  sitting 
there  with  thy  nose  unwiped.  Why  not  go  some- 
where, even  to  the  public-house?  Some  kind  man 
may  come  along  and  take  thee  to  work.  Thou 
wouldst  have  even  a  bit  of  bread,  while  at  home  here 
we  have  nothing  to  keep  the  life  in  us." 

"  Very  well,  I'll  go,"  said  Ivan.  He  rose  up  and 
went  to  the  public-house.  On  the  way  a  man  met 
him. 

"  Where  art  thou  going,  Ivan?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  hire  out  to  work." 

"  Come,  work  for  me ;  I  '11  give  thee  such  and  such 
wages,  and  other  things  too." 

Ivan  agreed.     He  went  to  work. 


138       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  man  had  a  dog  with  whelps;  one  of  the 
whelps  pleased  Ivan  greatly,  and  he  trained  it.  A 
year  passed,  and  the  time  came  to  pay  wages  for  the 
work.  The  man  was  giving  Ivan  money,  but  he 
answered:  "I  need  not  thy  money;  give  me  that 
whelp  of  thine  that  I  trained." 

The  man  was  glad  that  he  had  not  to  pay  money, 
and  gave  the  whelp. 

Ivan  went  home ;  and  when  his  mother  found  what 
he  had  done,  she  began  to  cry,  saying:  "  All  people 
are  people,  but  thou  art  a  fool ;  we  had  nothing  to 
eat,  and  now  there  is  another  life  to  support." 

Ivan  the  Fool  said  nothing,  sat  on  the  stove  with 
unwiped  nose,  rolling  in  the  ashes,  and  the  whelp 
with  him.  Some  time  passed ;  whether  it  was  short  or 
long,  his  mother  said  again :  "  Why  art  thou  sitting 
there  without  sense ;  why  not  go  to  the  public-house? 
Some  good  man  may  come  along  and  hire  thee." 

"  Very  good,  I  '11  go,"  said  the  Fool. 

He  took  his  dog  and  started.  A  man  met  him  on 
the  road. 

"Where  art  thou  going,  Ivan?  " 

"  To  find  service,"  said  he ;   "  to  hire  out." 

"  Come,  work  for  me." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Ivan. 

They  agreed,  and  Ivan  went  again  to  work;  and 
that  man  had  a  cat  with  kittens.  One  of  the  kittens 
pleased  the  Fool,  and  he  trained  it.  The  time  came 
for  payment. 


.   The  Ring  with   Twelve  Screws.         139 

Ivan  the  Fool  said  to  this  man :  "  I  need  not  thy 
money,  but  give  me  that  kitten." 

"  If  thou  wilt  have  it,"  said  the  man. 

Now  the  Fool  went  home,  and  his  mother  cried 
more  than  before.  "  All  people  are  people,  but  thou 
wert  born  a  fool.  We  had  nothing  to  eat,  and  now 
we  must  support  two  useless  lives  !  " 

It  was  bitter  for  Ivan  to  hear  this.  He  took  his 
dog  and  cat  and  went  out  into  the  field.  He  saw  in 
the  middle  of  the  field  a  fire  burning  in  a  great  pile 
of  wood,  —  such  an  awful  pile  of  wood!  When  he 
drew  nearer  he  saw  that  a  snake  was  squirming  in  it, 
burning  on  hot  coals. 

The  snake  screamed  to  him  in  a  human  voice: 
"  Oh,  Ivan  the  Fool,  save  me !  I  will  give  thee  a 
great  ransom  for  my  life." 

Ivan  took  a  stick  and  raised  the  snake  out  of  the 
fire. 

When  he  had  thrown  it  out,  there  stood  before 
him,  not  a  snake,  but  a  beautiful  maiden;  and  she 
said :  "  Thanks  to  thee,  Ivanushka.  Thou  hast  done 
me  great  service ;  I  will  do  thee  still  greater.  We  will 
go,"  said  she,  "  to  my  mother.  She  will  offer  thee 
copper  money :  do  not  take  it,  because  it  is  coals,  and 
not  money;  she  will  offer  thee  silver  coin:  do  not 
take  that  either,  for  that  will  be  chips,  and  not  sil- 
ver ;  she  will  bring  out  to  thee  gold :  take  not  even 
that,  because  instead  of  gold  it  is  potsherds  and 
broken  bricks.  But  ask  of  her  in  reward  the  ring 


140       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales.  » 

with  twelve  screws.  It  will  be  hard  for  her  to  give  it; 
but  be  firm,  she  will  give  it  for  my  sake." 

Behold,  all  took  place  as  she  said.  Though  the 
old  woman  grew  very  angry,  she  gave  the  ring.  Ivan 
was  going  along  through  the  field,  thinking,  "  What 
shall  I  do  with  this  ring?" 

He  was  looking  at  it,  when  that  same  young  girl 
caught  up  with  him  and  said :  "  Ivan,  whatever  thou 
wishest,  thou  wilt  have.  Only  stand  in  the  evening 
on  the  threshold,  loosen  all  the  twelve  screws,  and 
before  thee  twelve  thousand  men  will  appear:  what- 
ever thou  wishest,  command ;  all  will  be  done." 

Ivan  went  home,  said  nothing  to  his  mother,  sat 
on  the  stove,  lay  in  the  ashes  with  unwiped  nose. 
Evening  came ;  they  lay  down  to  sleep. 

Ivan  waited  for  the  hour,  went  on  the  threshold, 
unscrewed  the  twelve  screws,  and  twelve  thousand 
men  stood  before  him.  "  Thou  art  our  master,  we 
are  thy  men :  declare  thy  soul's  desire." 

Said  Ivan  to  the  men :  "  Have  it  made  that  on  this 
very  spot  a  castle  shall  stand  such  as  there  is  not  in 
the  world,  and  that  I  sleep  on  a  bedstead  of  gold,  on 
down  of  swans,  and  that  my  mother  sleep  in  like 
manner;  that  coachmen,  outriders,  servants,  and  all 
kinds  of  powerful  people  be  walking  in  my  court  and 
serving  me." 

"  Lie  down  for  .thyself  in  God's  name,"  said  the 
men ;  "  all  will  be  done  at  thy  word." 

Ivan  the  Fool  woke   up  next  morning,  and  was 


The  Ring  with   Twelve  Screws.        141 

frightened  even  himself.  He  looked  around;  he 
was  sleeping  on  a  golden  bedstead  on  down  of 
swans,  and  there  were  lofty  chambers  and  so  rich 
that  even  the  Tsar  had  not  such.  In  the  courtyard 
were  walking  coachmen,  outriders,  servants,  and  all 
kinds  of  mighty  and  important  people  who  were 
serving  him.  The  Fool  was  amazed,  and  thought, 
"  This  is  good."  He  looked  in  the  mirror,  and  did 
not  know  his  own  self;  he  had  become  a  beauty  that 
could  not  be  described  with  a  pen  or  be  told  of  in 
a  tale.  As  was  fitting,  the  lord  was  as  fine  as  his 
chambers. 

When  the  Tsar  woke  up  at  the  same  hour,  —  and 
the  Tsar  lived  in  that  town,  —  he  looked,  and  behold 
opposite  his  palace  stood  a  castle  just  gleaming  in 
gold. 

The  Tsar  sent  to  learn  whose  it  was.  "Let  the 
owner  come  to  me,"  said  he,  "  and  show  what  sort  of 
man  he  is." 

They  informed  Ivan,  and  he  said :  "  Tell  him  that 
this  is  the  castle  of  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  and  if  he  wants 
to  see  me,  he  is  not  so  great  a  lord,  let  him  come 
himself." 

There  was  no  help  for  it.  The  Tsar  had  to  go  to 
Ivan  the  Fool's  castle.  They  became  acquainted, 
and  after  that  Ivan  the  Fool  went  to  the  Tsar.  The 
Tsar  had  a  most  beautiful  young  Tsarevna  of  a 
daughter,  and  she  brought  refreshments  to  Ivan ;  and 
right  there  she  pleased  him  greatly,  and  straightway 


142        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

he  begged  the  Tsar  to  give  her  in  marriage  to  him. 
Now  the  Tsar  in  his  turn  began  to  put  on  airs. 

"  Give  her,  —  why  not  give  her?  But  thou,  Ivan 
Tsarevich,  perform  a  service  for  me.  My  daughter  is 
not  of  common  stock,  and  therefore  she  must  marry 
only  the  very  best  among  the  whole  people.  Ar- 
range this  for  me,  that  from  thy  castle  to  mine  there 
be  a  golden  road,  and  that  I  have  a  bridge  over  the 
river,  —  not  a  common  one,  but  such  a  bridge  that 
one  side  shall  be  of  gold,  and  the  other  of  silver;  and 
let  all  kinds  of  rare  birds  be  swimming  on  the  river, 
—  geese  and  swans;  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
let  there  be  a  church,  —  not  a  simple  one,  but  one 
all  wax,  —  and  let  there  grow  around  it  wax  apple- 
trees  and  bear  ripe  apples.  If  thou  do  this,  my 
daughter  shall  be  thine ;  and  if  not,  blame  thyself." 
("  Well,"  thought  the  Tsar,  "  I  have  joked  enough  with 
Ivan  Tsarevich ;  "  but  he  kept  his  own  counsel.) 

"  Agreed,"  said  Ivan.  "  Now  do  thou  make  ready 
the  wedding  to-morrow."  With  that  he  departed. 

In  the  evening,  when  all  had  lain  down  to  sleep,  he 
stood  on  the  threshold,  unscrewed  all  the  screws  in 
the  ring :  twelve  thousand  men  stood  before  him. 

"  Thou  art  our  master,  we  are  thy  men :  command 
what  thy  soul  desires." 

"  Thus  and  thus,"  said  he ;   "I  want  this  and  that." 

"  All  right,"  said  they;   "  lie  down  with  God." 

In  the  morning  the  Tsar  woke  up,  went  to  the  win- 
dow; but  his  eyes  were  dazzled.  He  sprang  back 


The  Ring  witli   Twelve  Screws.        143 

six  paces.  That  meant  that  the  bridge  was  there, 
one  side  silver,  the  other  gold,  just  blazing  and  shin- 
ing. On  the  river  were  geese  and  swans  and  every 
rare  bird.  On  the  opposite  bank  stood  a  church  of 
white  wax,  and  around  the  church  apple-trees,  but 
without  leaves ;  the  naked  branches  were  sticking  up. 

"Well,"  thought  the  Tsar,  "  the  trick  has  failed; 
we  must  prepare  our  daughter  for  the  wedding." 

They  arrayed  her  and  drove  to  the  church. 
When  they  were  driving  from  the  palace,  buds  began 
to  come  out  on  the  apple-trees;  when  they  were 
crossing  the  bridge,  the  apple-trees  were  coming  into 
leaf;  when  they  were  driving  up  to  the  church,  white 
blossoms  were  bursting  forth  on  the  trees ;  and  when 
the  time  came  to  go  home  from  the  marriage  cere- 
mony, the  servants  and  all  kinds  of  people  met  them, 
gave  them  ripe  apples  on  a  golden  salver.  Then 
they  began  to  celebrate  the  wedding.  Feasts  and 
balls  were  given ;  they  had  a  feast  which  lasted  three 
days  and  three  nights. 

After  that,  whether  it  was  a  short  time  or  a  long 
one,  the  Tsarevna  began  to  tease  Ivan.  "Tell  me, 
my  dear  husband,  how  dost  thou  do  all  this?  How 
dost  thou  build  a  bridge  in  one  night,  and  a  wax 
church?" 

Ivan  the  Fool  would  not  tell  her  for  a  long  time ; 
but  as  he  loved  her  very  much,  and  she  begged  very 
hard,  he  said :  "  I  have  a  ring  with  twelve  screws,  and 
it  must  be  handled  in  such  and  such  fashion." 


144       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Well,  they  lived  on.  The  misery  of  the  matter 
was  this :  one  of  their  servants  pleased  the  Tsarevna, 
—  he  was  a  fine-looking,  shapely,  strong  fellow,  and 
she  conspired  with  him  to  rob  her  husband,  take 
away  the  ring,  and  the  two  would  then  go  to  live 
beyond  the  sea. 

As  soon  as  evening  came  she  took  out  the  ring 
quietly,  stood  on  the  threshold,  and  unscrewed  the 
twelve  screws:  twelve  thousand  men  stood  before 
her. 

"  Thou  art  our  mistress,  we  are  thy  men :  command 
what  thy  soul  desires." 

She  said :  "  Take  this  castle  for  me  and  bear  it 
beyond  the  sea,  with  all  that  is  in  it;  and  on  this 
spot  let  the  old  cabin  stand,  with  my  ragged  husband, 
Ivan  the  Fool,  inside." 

"  Lie  down  with  God,"  said  the  men ;  "  all  will  be 
done  on  thy  word." 

Next  morning  Ivan  woke  up,  looked  around.  He 
was  lying  on  a  bark  mat,  covered  with  a  ragged  coat, 
and  not  a  sign  of  his  castle.  He  began  to  cry  bit- 
terly, and  went  to  the  Tsar,  his  father-in-law.  He 
came  to  the  palace,  asked  to  announce  to  the  Tsar 
that  his  son-in-law  had  come.  When  the  Tsar  saw 
him  he  said :  "  Oh,  thou  this  and  that  kind  of 
breechesless  fellow,  what  son-in-law  art  thou  to  me? 
My  sons-in-law  live  in  golden  chambers  and  ride  in 
silver  carriages.  Take  him  and  wall  him  up  in  a 
stone  pillar." 


The  Ring  with  Twelve  Screws.        145' 

It  was  commanded  and  done.  They  took  Ivan  and 
walled  him  up  in  a  stone  pillar.  But  the  cat  and 
the  dog  did  not  leave  him,  they  were  there  too, 
and  dug  out  a  hole  for  themselves ;  through  the  hole 
they  gave  food  to  Ivan.  But  one  time  they  thought : 
"  Why  do  we  sit  here,  dog  and  cat,  with  folded  hands? 
Let 's  run  beyond  the  sea  and  get  the  ring." 

As  they  decided  to  do  that,  they  did  it.  They 
swam  through  the  sea,  found  their  castle.  The 
Tsarevna  was  walking  in  the  garden  with  the  servant, 
laughing  at  her  husband. 

"  Well,  do  thou  remain  .here  a  while,  and  I  '11  go  to 
the  chamber  and  get  the  ring,"  said  the  cat ;  and  she 
went  her  way,  mi-au,  mi-au,  under  the  door.  The 
Tsarevna  heard  her,  and  said :  "  Ah,  here  is  that 
scoundrel's  cat;  let  her  in  and  feed  her."  They 
let  her  in  and  fed  her.  The  cat  walked  through 
the  chambers  all  the  time  and  looked  for  the  ring. 
She  saw  on  the  stove  a  glass  box,  and  in  the  box 
the  ring. 

The  cat  was  delighted.  "  Glory  be  to  God !  " 
thought  she.  "  Now  only  wait  for  night;  I  '11  get  the 
ring,  and  then  for  home !  " 

When  all  had  lain  down,  the  cat  sprang  on  to  the 
stove  and  threw  down  the  glass  box ;  it  fell,  and  was 
broken.  She  caught  the  ring  in  her  mouth  and  hid 
under  the  door.  All  in  the  house  were  roused ;  the 
Tsarevna  herself  got  up,  and  saw  that  the  box  was 
broken. 

10 


146       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Oh !  "  said  she,  "  it  must  be  the  cat  of  that 
scoundrel  broke  it.  Drive  her  out;  drive  her  out !  " 

They  chased  out  the  cat,  and  she  was  glad ;  she  ran 
to  the  dog. 

"  Well,  brother  dog,"  said  she,  "  I  have  the  ring. 
Now  if  we  could  only  get  home  quickly  !  " 

They  swam  through  the  sea,  were  a  long  time 
swimming.  When  the  dog  was  tired,  he  sat  on  the 
cat ;  when  the  cat  was  tired,  she  sat  on  the  dog ;  and 
so  they  worked  on  and  it  was  not  far  from  land.  But 
the  dog  was  growing  weak.  The  cat  saw  this,  and 
said,  "  Sit  thou  on  me ;  thou  art  tired."  The  minute 
she  said  this  the  ring  fell  out  of  her  mouth  into  the 
water.  What  was  to  be  done?  They  swam  to  shore 
and  wept  tears.  Meanwhile  they  grew  hungry.  The 
dog  ran  through  the  field  and  caught  sparrows  for 
himself,  and  the  cat  ran  along  the  shore  catching 
little  fish  thrown  up  by  the  waves;  that  was  how 
she  fed  herself. 

But  all  at  once  the  cat  cried  out:  "  Oh,  thou  dog, 
come  here  quickly  to  me ;  I  have  found  the  ring !  I 
caught  a  fish,  began  to  eat  it,  and  in  the  fish  was  the 
ring." 

Now  they  were  both  powerfully  glad ;  they  ran  to 
Ivan  and  brought  him  the  ring. 

Ivan  waited  till  evening,  unscrewed  all  the  twelve 
screws,  and  twelve  thousand  men  stood  before  him. 

"  Thou  art  our  master,  we  are  thy  men :  tell  us  to 
do  what  thy  soul  desires." 


The  Ring  with   Twelve  Screws.        147 

"  Break  in  a  minute  this  stone  pillar  so  that  dust 
from  it  shall  not  remain;  and  from  beyond  the  sea 
bring  hither  my  castle  with  all  who  are  in  it,  and 
every  one  as  sleeping  now,  and  put  it  in  the  old 
place." 

Straightway  all  this  was  done.  In  the  morning 
Ivan  went  to  his  father-in-law.  The  Tsar  met  him, 
seated  him  in  the  first  place,  and  said :  "  Where  hast 
thou  been  pleased  to  pass  thy  time,  my  dear  son- 
in-law?" 

"  I  was  beyond  the  sea,"  said  Ivan. 

"That's  it,"  said  the  Tsar,  "  beyond  the  sea.  Tis 
clear  that  thou  hadst  pressing  business,  for  thou  didst 
not  come  to  take  farewell  of  thy  father-in-law.  But 
while  thou  wert  gone,  some  sort  of  bare-legged  fellow 
came  to  me  and  called  himself  my  son-in-law.  I 
gave  command  to  wall  him  up  in  a  stone  pillar;  he 
has  perished  there,  doubtless.  Well,  beloved  son-in- 
law,  where  hast  thou  been  pleased  to  spend  thy  time ; 
what  sights  hast  thou  seen  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen,"  said  Ivan,  "  various  sights ;  and 
beyond  the  sea  there  was  an  affair  of  such  kind  that 
no  man  knew  how  to  settle  it." 

"What  was  the  affair?" 

"  Well,  this  is  the  kind  of  affair  it  was ;  and  if  thou 
art  a  wise  man,  decide  it  according  to  thy  wisdom  of 
Tsar :  A  husband  had  a  wife,  and  while  he  was  liv- 
ing she  found  a  sweetheart  for  herself;  she  robbed 
her  husband,  and  went  away  with  the  sweetheart 


148       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

beyond  the  sea;  and  now  she  is  with  that  man. 
What,  to  thy  thinking,  should  be  done  with  that 
wife?" 

"  According  to  my  wisdom  of  Tsar  I  will  utter  the 
following  sentence:  Tie  them  both  to  the  tails  of 
horses,  and  let  the  horses  loose  in  the  open  field,  — 
let  that  be  their  punishment." 

"  If  that  is  thy  judgment,  very  well,"  said  Ivan. 
"  Come  with  me  as  a  guest;  I  will  show  thee  other 
sights  and  another  wonder." 

They  went  to  Ivan's  castle,  and  found  there  the 
Tsar's  daughter  and  the  servant.  As  Ivan  had  com- 
manded, they  were  still  asleep. 

There  was  no  help  for  it ;  according  to  the  word  of 
the  Tsar  they  tied  them  both  to  the  tails  of  horses 
and  urged  the  horses  into  the  open  field,  —  that  was 
their  punishment.  But  Ivan  afterwards  married 
that  beautiful,  most  beautiful  maiden  whom  he  had 
saved  from  the  fire,  and  they  began  to  live  and  win 
wealth. 


THE   FOOTLESS  AND   THE  BLIND. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom,  in  a  certain  state,  lived  a 
terrible  Tsar.  He  was  famed  through  all  lands, 
—  a  terror  to  kings  and  princes.  The  Tsar  took  a 
thought  to  marry,  and  published  an  order  in  every 
town  and  village  that  whoever  would  find  him  a 
bride  ruddier  than  the  sun,  fairer  than  the  moon,  and 
whiter  than  snow,  would  be  rewarded  with  countless 
wealth.  The  report  of  this  went  through  the  whole 
kingdom ;  and  from  small  to  great,  all  were  talking 
and  thinking,  but  no  one  offered  to  find  such  a 
beauty. 

Not  far  from  the  king's  castle  was  a  large  brewery. 
The  working-men  came  together  for  some  reason, 
and  began  to  say  that  a  man  might  get  much  money 
from  the  Tsar,  but  where  could  such  a  bride  be 
found  ? 

"Well,  brothers,"  said  a  man,  Nikita  Koltoma  by 
name,  "  no  one  can  find  a  bride  for  the  Tsar  without 
my  help ;  but  if  I  undertake  it,  then  he  will  find  her 
without  fail." 

"What  art  thou  boasting  of,  thou  fool?  How 
couldst  thou  do  that  deed?  There  are  famous  and 
rich  people,  not  the  like  of  us,  and  they  are  afraid. 


150       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Thou  couldst  not  do  it  in  a  dream,  much  less  in  thy 
senses." 

"  Well,  say  what  ye  please ;  but  I  have  faith  in 
myself,"  said  he,  "  and  I  '11  get  her." 

"  Ah,  Nikita,  don't  boast ;  thou  knowest  our  Tsar 
is  terrible,  and  for  an  empty  boast  he  will  put  thee 
to  death." 

"He  won't  put  me  to  death;  he  will  reward  me 
with  money." 

They  reported  these  speeches  to  the  Tsar  himself. 
He  was  delighted,  and  gave  command  to  bring  Nikita 
before  his  bright  eyes.  The  soldiers  ran,  seized 
Nikita  Koltoma,  and  hurried  him  to  the  palace.  His 
comrades  called  after  him  :  "Well,  brother,  thou 
hast  said  it;  thou  thinkest  to  joke  with  the  Tsar:  go 
now  and  give  answer." 

They  brought  Nikita  to  the  great  palace,  and  the 
terrible  Tsar  said  to  him :  "  Thou,  Nikita,  dost  boast 
that  thou  art  able  to  find  me  a  bride  ruddier  than 
the  sun,  fairer  than  the  moon,  and  whiter  than 
snow." 

"  I  can,  your  Majesty." 

"  Very  well,  brother.  If  thou  wilt  do  me  that  ser- 
vice, I  will  reward  thee  with  countless  treasure  and 
make  thee  first  minister ;  but  if  thou  hast  lied,  I  have 
a  sword,  and  thy  head  leaves  thy  shoulders." 

"I  am  glad  to  serve  thee,  Great  Tsar;  but  com- 
mand that  I  have  a  holiday  for  a  whole  month." 

The  Tsar  consented,  and  gave  over  his  own  signa- 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.  151 

ture  an  open  order  to  Nikita,  commanding  that  in 
all  eating-houses  and  inns  they  should  give  him 
gratis  all  kinds  of  food  and  drink. 

Nikita  went  through  the  capital  to  enjoy  himself. 
Whatever  i»n  he  entered,  he  showed  the  paper; 
immediately  they  brought  him  everything  that  his 
soul  desired.  He  caroused  one  day,  a  second,  a 
third ;  a  week,  a  second,  a  third  week.  And  now  the 
term  is  passed ;  't  is  time  to  go  to  the  Tsar. 

Nikita  took  farewell  of  his  friends,  went  to  the 
palace,  and  asked  the  Tsar  to  collect  for  him  twelve 
brave  youths,  the  same  in  stature,  in  hair,  and  in 
voice,  and  to  prepare  besides  thirteen  white  woven 
tents  with  golden  embroidery.  Everything  was  soon 
ready;  the  young  men  were  collected  at  once,  and 
the  tents  made. 

"  Now,  Great  Tsar,"  said  Nikita,  "  get  ready,  and 
we  will  go  for  the  bride." 

They  saddled  their  good  steeds,  packed  the  tents 

on  the  horses.     After  that  they  had  a  prayer  in  the 

church,  took  leave  of  the  people  of  the  town,  sat  on 

their  steeds,  and  galloped  away ;  nothing  but  a  pillar 

of    dust  behind   them.     They  travelled    one  day,   a 

second,  and  a  third.     In  the  open  field  was  a  forge. 

.  Said  Nikita :   "  Go   straight   ahead  with  God,  and  \ 

will  run  into  the  forge  and  smoke  a  pipe."    He  en- 

\  tered   the    forge ;    fifteen    blacksmiths   were   forging 

iron  inside,  striking  with  their  hammers. 

"  God  aid  you,  brothers  !  " 


152       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  God  save  thee,  good  man  !  " 

"  Make  me  a  staff  fifteen  poods 1  weight." 

"  To  make  it  we  are  not  unwilling ;  but  who  will 
turn  the  iron?  Fifteen  poods  are  no  joke." 

"  That  is  nothing,  brothers ;  you  beat  with  the 
hammers,  and  I  '11  turn  the  iron." 

The  blacksmiths  went  to  work  and  forged  an  iron 
staff  of  fifteen  poods.  Nikita  took  the  rod,  went  out 
into  the  field,  and  threw  it  up  ninety  feet,  held  out 
his  hand ;  the  iron  staff  fell  on  his  hand,  but  was  not 
equal  to  the  strength  of  the  hero,  it  broke  in  two. 
Nikita  Koltoma  paid  the  blacksmiths  for  their  work, 
threw  the  broken  rod  to  them,  and  rode  away.  He 
•  caught  up  with  his  comrades.  They  travelled  three 
days  more;  again  there  was  a  forge  in  the  open  field. 

"  Go  on,  I  will  enter  this  forge,"  said  Nikita.  He 
went  into  the  forge.  Twenty-five  blacksmiths  were 
•working  inside,  forging  iron,  pounding  with  their 
hammers. 

"  God  aid  thee,  boys !  " 

"'God  save  thee,  good  man!  " 

"  Make  me  a  staff  twenty-five  poods  in  weight." 

"  To  forge  is  no  trouble ;  but  where  is  the  man  with 
strength  to  turn  so  much  iron?" 

"  I  will  turn  it  myself." 

He  took  the  twenty-five  poods  weight  of  iron, 
heated  it  red  hot,  and  turned  it  on  the  anvil  while 
the  blacksmiths  pounded  with  their  hammers.  They 
1  One  pood  =  36  pounds. 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.          153 

made  a  staff  twenty-five  poods  in  weight.  Nikita 
took  that  staff,  went  out  into  the  open  field,  threw  it 
up  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  held  out  his  hand : 
the  staff  struck  the  hero's  hand  and  broke  in  two. 

"  No,  this  will  not  do,"  said  Nikita.  He  paid  for 
the  work,  sat  on  his  horse,  and  rode  away.  He  over- 
took his  comrades.  They  travelled  a  day,  a  second, 
and  a  third.  Again  there  was  a  forge  in  the  open  field. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Nikita;  "I  will  smoke  a  pipe  in 
this  forge." 

He  entered  the  forge,  where  fifty  blacksmiths  were 
tormenting  an  old  man.  A  gray-haired  old  man  was 
lying  on  the  anvil ;  ten  men  were  holding  him  with 
pincers  by  the  beard,  and  forty  men  were  pounding 
him  on  the  sides  with  hammers. 

'  "  Have  pity  on  me,  brothers !  "  cried  the  old  man, 
with  all  his  strength.  "  Leave  the  life  in  me  to  do 
penance !  " 

"  God  aid  you  !  "  said  Nikita. 

"  God  aid  thee,  good  man !  "  said  the  blacksmiths. 

"  Why  are  ye  tormenting  the  old  man?  " 

"  Because  he  owes  each  one  of  us  a  rouble,  and  he 
will  not  pay  it.  Why  should  n't  we  beat  him?  " 

"What  an  unfortunate  man,"  thought  Nikita;   "for 
'  fifty  roubles  he  suffers  such  torment !  "    And  he  said 
to  the  blacksmiths :   "  Listen,  brothers :   I '11  pay  you 
for  him ;  let  the  old  man  go." 

"  Agreed,  good  man ;  it  is  all  the  same  to  us  from 
whom  we  get  the  money,  so  that  we  have  it." 


154       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Nikita  took  out  fifty  roubles.  The  blacksmiths 
took  the  money,  and  the  moment  they  freed  the  old 
man  out  of  the  iron  pincers,  he  vanished  from  the 
eye.  Nikita  looked.  "  But  where  is  the  old  man?  " 

"  Oh,  look  for  him  now ;  he  is  a  wizard !  " 

Nikita  ordered  them  to  forge  an  iron  staff  of  fifty 
poods.  He  hurled  it  up  three  hundred  feet,  and 
held  out  his  hand :  the  staff  stood  the  test,  did  not 
break.  "  This  will  do,"  said  Nikita,  and  rode  off  to 
overtake  his  comrades.  All  at  once  he  heard  a  voice 
behind  him.  Nikita  Koltoma  stopped;  he  looked 
around,  and  saw  the  same  old  man  running  after  him. 

"  Thanks  to  thee,"  said  the  old  man,  "  for  saving 
me  from  cruel  torture;  I  suffered  that  misery  for 
thirty  years  exactly.  Here  is  a  present  to  remember 
me  by,  —  take  it;  it  will  be  of  use  to  thee;  "  and  he 
gave  him  a  cap  of  invisibility.  "  Just  put  it  on  thy 
head ;  no  man  will  see  thee." 

Nikita  took  the  cap,  thanked  the  old  man,  and 
galloped  on.  He  overtook  his  comrades,  and  all 
rode  together.  Whether  it  was  long  or  short,  near 
or  far,  they  came  to  a  castle ;  around  the  castle  was  a 
great  iron  paling ;  there  was  no  way  to  enter,  on  foot 
or  on  horseback.  The  terrible  Tsar  said:  "Well, 
brother  Nikita,  there  is  no  passage  farther." 

Nikita  Koltoma  answered :  "  Why  not,  Great  Tsar? 
I  '11  go  through  the  whole  world  but  I  '11  find  thee  a 
bride.  This  paling  is  no  stop  to  us.  Now,  boys, 
break  the  paling;  open  the  gate  to  the  wide  court !  " 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.  155 

The  good  youths  came  down  from  their  horses 
and  went  at  the  paling ;  but  no  matter  what  they  did, 
they  could  not  break  it,  it  stood  fast. 

"Oh,  brothers,"  said  Nikita,  "ye  sail  in  shallow 
water !  No  use  in  my  depending  on  you ;  I  must 
work  myself." 

Nikita  sprang  from  his  horse,  went  to  the  paling, 
took  it  with  his  heroic  hand,  pulled  once,  — the  whole 
paling  was  on  the  ground.  The  terrible  Tsar  and  the 
young  men  rode  in  on  the  broad  court,  and  there  on 
the  green  meadow  they  put  up  their  white  woven, 
gold-embroidered  tents,  ate  what  God  sent  them,  lay 
down,  and  from  weariness  slept  a  sound  sleep.  Each 
one  had  a  tent,  but  there  was  none  for  Nikita  Kol- 
toma ;  he  found  three  worn  bark  mats,  made  himself 
a  little  hut,  lay  down  on  the  bare  ground.  As  to 
sleeping,  he  slept  not ;  he  waited  for  what  would  be. 

At  the  morning  dawn  Yelena  the  Beautiful  woke 
up  in  her  chamber,  looked  out  through  her  lattice- 
window,  and  saw  that  thirteen  white  woven  tents 
were  standing  on  her  green  meadow,  and  in  front  of 
all  a  small  hut  of  bark  rugs. 

"What  is  this?"  thought  the  Tsarevna;  "whence 
have  these  guests  come?  See,  the  iron  paling  is 
broken !  " 

Yelena  the  Beautiful  was  terribly  enraged;  she 
called  her  powerful,  mighty  hero,  and  said :  "  To 
horse  this  minute !  Ride  to  the  tents  and  give  all 
those  disobedient  scoundrels  to  a  cruel  death ;  throw 


156       Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

their  bodies  over  the  fence,  and  bring  the  tents  to 
me." 

The  powerful,  mighty  hero  saddled  his  good  steed, 
put  on  his  battle-armor,  and  went  toward  the  un- 
bidden guests.  Nikita  Koltoma  saw  him.  "  Who 
goes?"  asked  he. 

"  And  who  art  thou,  rude  fellow,  that  askest?  " 

These  words  did  not  please  Nikita.  He  sprang 
out  of  his  hut,  caught  the  hero  by  the  foot,  dragged 
him  from  the  horse  to  the  damp  earth,  raised  his  iron 
staff  of  fifty  poods,  gave  him  one  blow,  and  said : 
"  Go  now  to  thy  Tsarevna,  tell  her  to  stop  her  pride, 
not  to  waste  her  men,  but  to  marry  our  terrible 
Tsar." 

The  hero  galloped  back,  glad  that  Nikita  had  left 
him  alive,  came  to  the  castle,  and  said  to  the  Tsa- 
revna: "Men  of  immeasurable  strength  have  come 
to  our  place.  They  ask  thee  for  their  terrible  Tsar 
in  marriage,  and  commanded  me  to  tell  thee  to  put 
an  end  to  thy  pride,  not  to  waste  thy  army  in  vain, 
and  to  marry  their  Tsar." 

When  Yelena  the  Beautiful  heard  such  bold 
speeches  she  was  roused.  She  summoned  her  great, 
mighty  heroes,  and  began  to  command  them  all: 
"  My  trusty  servants,  assemble  a  countless  army,  take 
down  these  white  tents,  kill  these  unbidden  guests, 
that  the  dust  of  them  be  not  here." 

The  great,  mighty  heroes  did  not  stop  long.  They 
collected  a  countless  army,  sat  on  their  heroic  steeds, 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.          157 

and  bore  down  on  the  white  woven,  gold-embroidered 
tents. 

As  soon  as  they  came  to  the  bark  hut,  Nikita 
Koltoma  sprang  out  before  them,  took  his  iron  staff 
of  fifty  poods,  and  began  to  wave  it  at  them  in 
different  directions.  In  a  little  while  he  had  killed 
the  whole  army,  and  of  the  great,  mighty  heroes  he 
left  but  one  alive.  "  Go,"  said  he,  "  to  thy  Tsarevna, 
Yelena  the  Beautiful,  and  tell  her  not  to  waste  her 
army  further.  She  cannot  frighten  us  with  armies. 
Now  I  have  fought  with  you  alone ;  what  will  happen 
to  your  kingdom  when  my  comrades  wake?  We  will 
not  leave  a  stone  upon  a  stone ;  we  will  scatter  every- 
thing over  the  open  field." 

The  hero  returned  to  the  Tsarevna  and  said :  "  Thy 
whole  army  is  slain ;  against  such  champions  no 
power  can  avail."  Yelena  the  Beautiful  sent  to  invite 
the  terrible  Tsar  to  the  castle,  and  then  ordered  that 
the  sharp  arrow  be  ready ;  went  herself  to  meet  the 
guests  with  grace,  with  honor.  The  Tsarevna  moves 
on  to ,  meet  them,  and  behind  her  fifty  men  are 
bearing  the  bow  and  the  arrow.  Nikita  Koltoma 
saw  that  that  was  a  hero's  bow,  and  knew  at  once 
that  it  was  intended  to  treat  them  to  the  arrow. 
He  put  on  the  cap  of  invisibility,  drew  the  bow, 
and  aimed  the  arrow  at  the  Tsarevna's  chamber.  In 
one  moment  he  knocked  off  the  whole  top  of  her 
castle. 

There  was  no  help  for  her  now.     Yelena  the  Beau- 


158       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

tiful  took  the  terrible  Tsar  by  the  hand,  led  him  to 
the  white-walled  chambers,  seated  him  and  his  men 
at  the  oaken  tables  with  the  spread  cloths.  They 
began  to  drink,  to  eat  and  rejoice.  In  the  chambers 
were  wonderful  ornaments;  the  whole  world  might 
be  searched,  and  the  like  wouldst  thou  find  nowhere. 

After  dinner  Nikita  said  to  the  terrible  Tsar: 
"  Does  the  young  woman  please  thee,  or  shall  we 
go  for  another?  " 

"  No,  Nikita,  there  is  no  use  in  travelling  for  noth- 
ing; there  is  not  a  better  than  this  in  the  whole 
world." 

"  Well,  then,  marry  now  she  is  in  our  hands.  But 
look  out,  Great  Tsar,  don't  be  caught  napping. 
The  first  three  nights  she  will  try  thy  strength ;  she 
will  put  her  hand  on  thee  and  press  mightily,  might- 
ily :  thou  canst  not  endure  it  in  any  way.  At  these 
times  hurry  out  of  the  chamber;  I  '11  take  thy  place 
and  soon  tame  her." 

They  set  about  the  wedding,  and  Tsars  have  not 
to  make  mead  or  wine ;  all  was  on  hand.  They  had 
the  wedding,  and  the  terrible  Tsar  went  to  the  cham- 
ber of  Yelena  the  Beautiful.  He  reclined  on  a 
couch. 

Yelena  put  her  hand  on  his  breast  and  asked :  "  Is 
my  hand  heavy?  " 

"It  is  as  heavy  as  a  feather  on  water,"  answered 
the  terrible  Tsar ;  but  he  could  barely  draw  breath, 
so  had  she  pressed  his  breast.  "Wait,  I  have  for- 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.          159 

gotten  to  give  an  order;  I  must  give  it  now."  He 
left  the  chamber. 

Nikita  was  standing  at  the  door  outside.  "  Well, 
brother,  thou  didst  speak  truly ;  she  came  very  near 
putting  the  breath  out  of  me." 

"  Never  mind,  I'll  settle  the  matter;   stay  here." 

Nikita  entered  the  dark  chamber,  lay  on  the 
couch.  Yelena  thought  the  Tsar  had  returned.  She 
put  her  hand  on  his  breast,  pressed  and  pressed ; 
could  do  nothing.  She  put  on  both  hands,  and 
pressed  more  than  before.  Nikita  Koltoma,  like  a 
man  in  sleep,  caught  her  and  hurled  her  to  the  floor, 
so  that  the  whole  castle  shook.  The  Tsarevna  got 
up,  went  quietly  to  her  bed,  and  fell  asleep. 

Now  Nikita  slipped  out  to  the  Tsar  and  said: 
"  Go  in  boldly ;  she  will  do  nothing  till  to-morrow." 

With  Nikita's  aid  the  Tsar  escaped  the  second  and 
the  third  time,  and  then  lived  as  was  proper  with 
Yelena  the  Beautiful.  Neither  a  long  nor  a  short 
time  passed,  but  Yelena  the  Beautiful  discovered  that 
the  terrible  Tsar  had  deceived  her,  that  his  strength 
was  not  great,  that  people  were  laughing  at  her, 
that  Nikita  was  the  man  who  had  conquered  her. 
She  was  in  a  terrible  rage,  and  hid  in  her  heart  a 
cruel  revenge. 

The  Tsar  had  in  mind  to  go  to  his  own  kingdom, 
and  said :  "  We  have  stayed  here  long  enough ;  it  is 
time  to  go  home.  Make  ready  for  the  road." 

They  prepared  to  go  by  the  sea,  and  had  a  ship 


160       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales, 

laden  with  various  precious  things.  They  went  on 
board,  and  sailed  out  on  the  sea;  sailed  one  day, 
sailed  a  second,  then  a  third.  The  Tsar  was  de- 
lighted ;  he  could  not  rejoice  sufficiently  that  he  was 
taking  home  a  Tsaritsa  ruddier  than  the  sun,  fairer 
than  the  moon,  whiter  than  snow.  But  Yelena  the 
Beautiful  was  thinking  her  own  thought,  —  thinking 
how  to  pay  for  the  insult. 

At  that  time  an  heroic  slumber  overcame  Nikita, 
and  he  slept  for  twelve  whole  days  and  nights.  When 
the  Tsaritsa  saw  Nikita  in  this  sleep,  she  summoned 
her  trusty  servants,  commanded  them  to  cut  off  his 
legs  to  the  knee,  put  him  in  a  boat,  and  push  him 
out  into  the  sea.  Before  her  eyes  they  cut  off  the  legs 
of  the  sleeping  Nikita,  put  him  in  a  boat,  and  pushed 
him  out  to  sea. 

On  the  thirteenth  day  poor  Nikita  woke.  He 
looked  around, — water  everywhere;  he  was  lying 
without  feet,  and  no  trace  of  the  ship. 

Meanwhile  the  ship  sailed  on,  sailed  on.  At  last  the 
harbor  was  before  them.  The  cannon  thundered,  the 
people  ran  together.  The  merchants  and  boyars  met 
the  Tsar  with  bread  and  salt,  and  congratulated  him 
on  his  marriage.  The  Tsar  called  guests,  gave  feasts, 
and  forgot  to  think  of  Nikita.  Little  time  had  he  left 
to  rejoice.  Yelena  the  Beautiful  soon  seized  his  king- 
dom, took  the  management  of  all  to  herself,  and  forced 
him  to  herd  pigs.  The  wrath  of  the  Tsaritsa  was  not 
allayed  with  this ;  she  gave  command  to  make  search 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.  161 

on  every  side  for  relatives  of  Nikita  Koltoma,  and  if 
any  were  found  to  bring  them  to  the  palace. 

Messengers  galloped  and  searched  everywhere. 
They  found  a  brother  of  Nikita,  —  Timofei  Koltoma ; 
they  brought  him  to  the  palace.  Yelena  the  Beautiful 
gave  command  to  take  out  his  eyes  and  drive  him 
from  the  town, 

When  they  had  blinded  Timofei  they  led  him  out- 
side the  town  and  left  him  in  the  open  field.  The 
blind  man  dragged  along,  found  his  way  by  feeling ; 
he  went  and  went,  till  he  came  to  the  sea-shore, 
advanced  a  step  or  two,  and  felt  water  under  his  feet. 
He  halted,  stood  on  one  spot,  moved  neither  back- 
ward nor  forward ;  he  was  afraid  to  go.  All  at  once 
the  boat  with  Nikita  was  borne  toward  the  shore. 
Nikita  saw  a  man,  was  rejoiced,  and  called  to  him : 
"  Ei !  good'man;  help  me  to  land." 

The  blind  man  answered :  "  Gladly  would  I  help 
thee,  but  I  cannot.  I  am  without  eyes;  I  see 
nothing." 

"  But  whence  art  thou,  and  what  is  thy  name?  " 

"  I  am  Timofei  Koltoma.  The  new  Tsaritsa,  Yelena 
the  Beautiful,  had  my  eyes  put  out,  and  drove  me 
from  her  kingdom." 

"Ah!  but  thou  art  my  own  brother;  I  am  Nikita 
Koltoma.  Go  thou,  Timofei,  to  the  right  side, — 
there  a  tall  oak  is  growing ;  pull  out  the  oak,  bring 
it  here,  and  throw  it  from  the  shore  into  the  water. 
I  will  creep  out  upon  it  to  thee." 

ii 


1 62        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Timofei  turned  to  the  right,  stepped  forward,  and 
found  the  tall  old  oak,  seized  it  with  both  hands, 
pulled  it  out  by  the  roots,  drew  the  oak,  and  threw 
it  into  the  water.  The  tree  lay  with  one  end  on  land, 
the  other  came  down  near  the  boat.  Nikita  crept 
out  on  shore  somehow,  kissed  his  brother,  and  said : 
"  How  is  our  terrible  Tsar  living  now?  " 

"  Oh,  brother,"  answered  Timofei,  "  our  terrible 
Tsar  is  now  in  great  straits,  —  he  is  herding  pigs  in 
the  field  !  Every  morning  he  gets  a  pound  of  bread, 
a  jug  of  water,  and  three  rods  on  his  back." 

Then  they  talked  about  how  they  were  to  live  and 
how  to  support  themselves.  Said  Nikita:  "Hear, 
brother,  my  advice :  thou  wilt  carry  me,  because  I 
am  footless,  and  I  will  sit  on  thee  and  tell  thee  where 
to  go." 

"  Agreed ;  be  it  as  thou  sayest.  Though  we  are 
both  maimed,  we  shall  serve  for  one  sound  man." 

So  Nikita  sat  on  his  brother's  shoulders  and  showed 
him  the  way.  Timofei  walked  and  walked,  and  came 
into  a  slumbering  forest.  In  that  forest  stood  the 
cabin  of  Baba-Yaga.  The  brothers  entered  the 
cabin ;  there  was  not  a  soul  inside. 

"  Well,  brother,"  said  Nikita,  "  feel  in  the  oven. 
Is  n't  there  some  food  ?  " 

Timofei  crawled  to  the  oven,  took  out  every  kind 
of  food,  put  it  on  the  table,  and  they  both  began  to 
put  the  food  away ;  from  hunger  they  ate  everything 
clean.  Then  Nikita  began  to  examine  the  cabin.  He 


The  Footless  and  the  Blind.          163 

saw  on  the  window  a  small  whistle,  placed  it  to  his 
lips  and  began  to  whistle.  He  looks  —  what  sort  of 
wonder!  His  blind  brother  is  dancing,  the  cabin  is 
dancing,  the  table,  the  dishes  are  dancing,  every- 
thing dancing ;  the  pots  were  broken  into  bits. 

"  Enough,  Nikita,  stop  playing,"  begged  the  blind 
man ;  "  my  strength  can  hold  out  no  longer." 

Nikita  stopped  whistling,  and  that  moment  every- 
thing was  silent.  All  at  once  the  door  opened,  in 
walked  Baba-Yaga,  and  she  screamed  with  a  loud 
voice :  "  Oh,  homeless  vagrants,  to  this  minute  not 
a  bird  has  flown  past,  nor  a  beast  run  by  here ;  and 
ye  have  come,  devoured  my  food,  broken  my  pots ! 
Very  good ;  I  '11  settle  with  you  !  " 

"  Silence,  old-  carrion !  We  shall  be  able  to  settle 
with  thee  ourselves.  Here,  brother  Timofei,  hold  the 
old  witch  firmly  !  " 

Timofei  caught  the  Baba-Yaga  in  his  arms,  squeezed 
her  hard,  hard ;  but  Nikita  seized  her  that  moment 
by  the  hair  and  dragged  her  through  the  cabin. 

"Oh,  fathers,"  begged  Baba-Yaga,  "I'll  be  of 
use  to  you  myself;  whatever  ye  want  I  '11  get  you  !  " 

"  Well,  then,  old  woman,  speak.  Canst  thou  get  us 
healing  and  living  water?  If  thou  gettest  it,  I  '11  let 
thee  go  alive  into  the  white  world ;  if  not,  then  I  '11 
give  thee  to  a  cruel  death." 

Baba-Yaga  agreed,  and  led  them  to  two  springs. 
"  Here  are  for  you  the  healing  and  living  water." 

Nikita  Koltoma  took  the  healing  water,  poured  it 


1 64       Russian  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

on  himself,  and  his  legs  grew  out.  They  were  quite 
healthy,  but  would  n't  move.  He  took  living  water, 
moistened  his  legs,  and  began  to  use  them.  The 
same  happened  to  Timofei  Koltoma:  he  washed  the 
hollows  of  his  eyes  with  healing  water,  eyes  came  in 
his  head  just  as  if  they  had  never  been  injured,  but 
saw  nothing ;  he  washed  them  with  the  living  water, 
and  they  began  to  see  better  than  ever. 

The  brothers  thanked  the  old  woman,  let  her  go 
home,  and  went  to  liberate  the  terrible  Tsar  from  suf- 
fering and  misfortune.  They  came  to  the  capital 
town  and  saw  that  the  Tsar  was  herding  pigs  in 
front  of  the  castle.  Nikita  Koltoma  began  to  blow 
on  the  whistle,  and  the  herdsman  with  the  pigs  fell 
to  dancing.  Yelena  the  Beautiful  saw  this  from  the 
window;  she  was  furious,  and  gave  command  to 
take  a  bunch  of  rods  and  flog  the  pigherd  and  the 
musicians. 

The  guard  ran  out,  seized  them,  brought  them  to 
the  castle  to  treat  them  to  rods.  When  Nikita  Kol- 
toma came  to  Yelena  the  Beautiful  he  made  no  delay, 
but  seized  her  white  hands  and  said :  "  Dost  know 
me,  Yelena  the  Beautiful?  I  am  Nikita  Koltoma. 
Well,  terrible  Tsar,  she  is  in  thy  power;  what  thou 
wishest,  that  do." 

The  Tsar  gave  command  to  shoot  her,  and  he 
made  Nikita  his  first  minister;  he  honored  him 
always,  and  obeyed  him  in  all  things. 


KOSHCHEI  WITHOUT-DEATH. 

'"THHERE  was  a  Tsar  who  had  one  son,  and  when 
-*-  the  Tsarevich  was  an  infant  his  nurses  and 
maids  used  to  sing  to  him,  "  Baiyu,  baiyii,  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich ;  when  thou  'It  grow  up  a  man  thou  'It  find  thee 
a  bride  in  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  beyond  the  thrice 
ninth  land,  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna,  and  her  marrow 
flows  from  bone  to  bone." 

Fifteen  years  had  passed  for  the  Tsarevich,  and  he 
went  to  ask  leave  to  search  for  his  bride.  "  Where 
wilt  thou  go?"  asked  his  father.  "Thou  art  still  too 
small." 

"No,  father;  when  I  was  small  the  nurses  and 
maids  sang  to  me,  and  told  where  my  bride  lives ;  and 
now  I  am  going  to  find  her." 

The  Tsar  gave  his  blessing  and  sent  word  to  all 
kingdoms  that  his  son,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  was  going  for 
his  bride. 

Well,  the  Tsarevich  came  to  a  town,  gave  his  horse 
to  be  cared  for,  and  went  himself  to  walk  along  the 
streets.  He  walked,  and  saw  that  on  the  square  they 
were  punishing  a  man  with  a  whip.  "  Why,"  asked 
he,  "  do  ye  flog  him?  " 

"  Because,"  answered  they,  "  he  went  in  debt  ten 
thousand  to  an  eminent  merchant,  and  did  not  pay 


1 66       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

in  season.  And  whoso  redeems  him,  that  man's  wife 
Koshchei  Without-Death  will  bear  away." 

Now  the  Tsarevich  thought  and  thought,  and  then 
went  off.  As  he  was  walking  through  the  town  he 
came  out  again  on  the  square,  and  they  were  still 
beating  that  man.  Ivan  Tsarevich  pitied  him  and 
resolved  to  redeem  him. 

"  I  have  no  wife,"  thought  Ivan ;  "  there  is  no  one 
to  take  from  me."  He  paid  the  ten  thousand  and 
went  to  his  lodgings. 

All  at  once  the  man  whom  he  had  redeemed  ran 
after  him  and  called :  "  God  save  thee,  Ivan  Tsa- 
revich !  If  thou  hadst  not  redeemed  me,  thou 
couldest  not  have  gained  thy  bride  in  a  lifetime ; 
but  now  I  will  help  thee.  Buy  me  a  horse  and 
saddle  straightway." 

The  Tsarevich  bought  him  a  horse  and  saddle,  and 
asked :  "  What  is  thy  name?  " 

"  They  call  me  Bulat  the  hero." 

They  sat  on  the  horses,  went  their  way  and  road. 
When  they  came  to  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  Bulat 
said :  "  Well,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  give  orders  to  buy  and 
roast  chickens,  ducks,  and  geese,  so  that  there  may  be 
plenty  of  everything,  and  I  will  go  to  get  thy  bride. 
And  see  to  it :  every  time  I  run  to  thee,  cut  the  right 
wing  of  a  bird,  and  hand  it  to  me  on  a  plate." 

Bulat  the  hero  went  to  the  lofty  tower  where  Vas- 
silissa  Kirbftyevna  was  sitting,  threw  a  stone  lightly, 
and  broke  the  summit  of  the  gilded  tower.  He  ran 


Koshchei  Without-Death.  167 

to  the  Tsarevich  and  said  to  him :  "  What,  art  thou 
sleeping?  Give  me  a  hen." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  cut  off  the  right  wing  and  gave  it 
on  a  plate.  Bulat  took  the  plate,  ran  to  the  tower, 
and  cried  out:  "  Hail,  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna!  Ivan 
Tsarevich  gave  command  to  bow  to  thee,  and  asked 
me  to  give  thee  this  hen." 

Vassilissa  was  frightened,  and  sat  in  silence.  Bulat 
gave  answer  to  himself  instead  of  her :  "  Hail,  Bulat 
the  hero  !  Is  Ivan  Tsarevich  in  good  health  ? 

"  Glory  be  to  God,  in  good  health. 

"But  why  stand  there,  Bulat  the  hero?  Take  the 
key,  open  the  cupboard,  drink  a  glass  of  vodka,  and 
go  with  God." 

Bulat  the  hero  ran  to  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  said: 
"Art  sitting  here?  Give  me  a  duck." 

He  cut  off  the  wing,  and  gave  it  on  a  plate. 

Bulat  bore  it  to  the  tower  and  said :  "  Hail,  Vassi- 
lissa Kirbityevna !  Ivan  Tsarevich  gave  command  to 
bow  to  thee,  and  sent  thee  this  duck." 

She  sat  there,  said  nothing;  but  he  answered 
instead  of  her :  "  Hail,  Bulat  the  hero !  Is  Ivan 
Tsarevich  well? 

"  Glory  be  to  God,  he  is  well. 

"But  why  stand  there,  Bulat  the  hero?  Take  the 
key,  open  the  cupboard,  drink  a  glass,  and  go  with 
God." 

Bulat  ran  again  to  Ivan  Tsarevich.  "  Art  thou 
sitting  here?  Give  me  a  goose." 


1 68        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Ivan  cut  off  the  right  wing  and  gave  it  on  a  plate. 
Bulat  the  hero  bore  it  to  the  tower.  "  Hail,  Vassi- 
lissa  Kirbityevna !  Ivan  Tsarevich  gave  command  to 
bow  to  thee,  and  sent  thee  this  goose." 

Vassilissa  Kirbityevna  took  the  key  quickly, 
opened  the  cupboard,  and  reached  a  glass  of  vodka. 
Bulat  the  hero  took  not  the  glass,  but  seized  the 
maiden  by  the  right  hand,  drew  her  out  of  the 
tower,  and  seated  her  on  the  Tsarevich's  steed.  They 
galloped  away,  the  good  hero  and  the  beautiful  soul- 
maiden,  with  all  horse-speed. 

Next  morning  Tsar  Kirbit  woke  and  rose.  He  saw 
that  the  top  of  the  tower  was  broken  and  his  daughter 
stolen ;  he  grew  powerfully  angry,  and  gave  command 
to  pursue  over  all  roads  and  ways. 

Whether  our  heroes  travelled  much  or  little,  Bulat 
took  the  ring  from  his  hand,  hid  it,  and  said :  "  Go 
on,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  but  I  will  turn  back  and  look  for 
my  ring." 

Vassilissa  Kirbityevna  began  to  implore :  "  Do  not 
leave  us,  Bulat  the  hero ;  if  it  please  thee,  thou  shalt 
have  my  ring." 

"Impossible,  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna;  my  ring  was 
priceless.  My  own  mother  gave  it  me,  and  when 
giving,  she  said:  "Wear  and  lose  it  not;  forget  not 
thy  mother." 

Bulat  the  hero  galloped  back  and  met  the  pursuers 
on  the  road.  He  slew  them  all  straightway,  left  but 
one  man  to  take  news  to  the  Tsar,  hurried  back,  and 
caught  up  with  the  Tsarevich. 


Koshchei  Without -Death.  169 

Whether  they  went  much  or  little,  Bulat  hid  his 
handkerchief  and  said :  "  Oh,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  I  have 
lost  my  handkerchief!  Ride  on  thy  road  and  way; 
I  will  soon  come  up  with  thee." 

He  turned  back,  went  some  versts,  and  met  pur- 
surers  twice  as  many ;  he  slew  them  all,  and  returned 
to  Ivan,  who  asked :  "  Hast  found  the  handkerchief?  " 

"  I  have  found  it." 

Dark  night  overtook  them.  They  pitched  a  tent; 
Bulat  lay  down  to  sleep,  left  Ivan  Tsarevich  on  guard, 
and  said  to  him :  "  If  need  be,  rouse  me." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  stood  and  stood,  grew  tired ;  sleep 
began  to  bend  him ;  he  sat  down  at  the  tent  and  fell 
asleep. 

From  wherever  he  came,  Koshchei  Without-Death 
bore  away  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna.  Ivan  Tsarevich 
woke  up  at  dawn,  saw  that  his  bride  was  gone,  and 
began  to  weep  bitterly.  Bulat  the  hero  woke  up  and 
asked :  "  Why  art  thou  weeping?  " 

"  Why  should  I  not  weep  ?  Some  one  has  borne 
away  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna." 

"  I  told  thee  to  keep  watch.  That  is  the  work  of 
Koshchei  Without-Death.  Let  us  set  out  in  search 
of  her." 

Long  and  long  did  they  ride,  till  they  saw  two 
shepherds  herding  a  flock.  "  Whose  herd  is  that?" 

The  herdsmen  answered:  "This  is  the  herd  of 
Koshchei  Without-Death." 

Bulat  and  Ivan  Tsarevich  asked  the   herdsmen  if 


170       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Koshchei  Without-Death  lived  far  from  there,  how 
to  go  to  his  house,  what  time  they  went  home  with 
the  flock,  and  how  they  shut  it  in.  Then  they  came 
down  from  their  horses,  wrung  the  necks  of  the  shep- 
herds, dressed  themselves  in  their  clothes,  drove  the 
herd  home,  and  stood  at  the  gate. 

1  Ivan  Tsarevich  had  a  gold  ring  on  one  of  his 
fingers,  Vassilissa  had  given  it  to  him.  Vassilissa 
had  a  goat,  and  she  washed  herself  morning  and 
evening  with  the  milk  of  that  goat.  The  maid  ran 
with  a  vessel,  milked  the  goat,  and  was  carrying  the 
milk.  Bulat  took  the  Tsarevich's  ring  and  threw  it 
into  the  vessel. 

"  Oh,  my  dove,"  said  the  maid,  "  thou  art  getting 
impudent !  "  She  came  to  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna  and 
complained.  "  Now,"  said  she,  "  the  herdsmen  have 
begun  to  make  sport  of  us,  —  they  threw  a  ring  into 
the  milk." 

"  Leave  the  milk ;  I  will  strain  it  myself,"  said 
Vassilissa.  She  strained  the  milk,  saw  the  ring,  and 
gave  command  to  send  the  herdsmen  to  her.  The 
herdsmen  came. 

"  Hail,  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna !  "  said  Bulat  the 
hero. 

"  Hail,  Bulat  the  hero  !  Be  well,  Tsarevich  !  How 
did  God  bring  you?  " 

"  We  came  for  thee,  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna ;  thou 
wilt  hide  from  us  nowhere.  We  should  find  thee  even 
on  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 


Koshchei  Without -Death.  171 

She  seated  them  at  the  table,  gave  them  every 
sort  of  food  and  all  kinds  of  wine. 

Said  Bulat  the  hero :  "  When  Koshchei  comes 
home  from  hunting,  ask  him,  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna, 
where  his  death  is.  And  now  it  would  not  be  amiss 
for  us  to  hide." 

As  soon  as  the  guests  had  hidden,  Koshchei 
Without-Death  was  flying  home  from  the  hunt. 
"Tfu-tfu  !  "  said  he;  "  of  old  there  was  n't  a  sign  of 
Russia  to  be  heard  with  hearing  or  seen  with  sight ; 
but  now  Russia  runs  into  one's  eyes  and  mouth." 

Said  Vassilissa :  "  Thou  hast  been  flying  through 
Russia  thyself,  and  art  full  of  its  odor;  so  to  thy 
thinking  dost  find  it  here." 

Koshchei  ate  his  dinner  and  lay  down  to  rest. 
Vassilissa  came  to  him,  threw  herself  on  his  neck, 
fondled  him,  and  kissed  him,  saying:  "  My  dear  love, 
hardly  was  I  able  to  wait  for  thee.  I  did  not  expect 
to  see  thee  alive;  I  feared  that  savage  beasts  had 
devoured  thee." 

Koshchei  laughed  aloud.  "  Simple  woman !  her 
hair  is  long,  but  her  wit  is  short.  Could  savage  beasts 
eat  me? " 

"  But  where  is  thy  death,  then  ?  " 

"  My  death  is  in  the  broom  which  lies  around  at 
the  threshold." 

As  soon  as  Koshchei  had  flown  away,  Vassilissa 
Kirbityevna  ran  to  Ivan  Tsarevich. 

Bulat  asked:  "  Well,  where  is  Koshchei's  death?" 


172       Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Taks. 

"  In  a  broom  thrown  around  at  the  threshold." 

"  No,  he  lies  with  design ;  thou  must  ask  him  more 
cunningly." 

Vassilissa  Kirbityevna  formed  a  plan.     She   took 

the  broom,  gilded  it,  adorned  it  with  various  ribbons, 

and  placed  it  on  the  table.    When  Koshche'i  Without- 

*Death  flew  home,  he  saw  the  broom  on  the  table,  and 

asked  why  that  was  done. 

"  How  was  it  possible,"  answered  Vassilissa  Kir- 
bftyevna,  "  that  thy  death  should  roll  around  at  the 
threshold?  Better  let  it  lie  on  the  table." 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  The  woman  is  simple ;  her  hair  is 
long,  but  her  wit  is  short !  Could  my  death  be  here?  " 

"Where  is  it,  then?" 

"  My  death  is  hidden  in  the  goat." 

As  soon  as  Koshchei  went  off  to  the  hunt,  Vassi- 
lissa Kirbityevna  took  the  goat  and  adorned  it  with 
ribbons  and  bells,  and  gilded  its  horns.  Koshchei 
saw  the  goat ;  again  he  laughed.  "  Oh,  the  woman 
is  simple ;  her  hair  is  long,  but  her  wit  is  short !  " 

"  My  death  is  far  from  here.  On  the  sea,  on  the 
ocean,  is  an  island;  on  that  island  stands  an  oak; 
under  the  oak  is  buried  a  chest;  in  the  chest  is  a 
hare,  in  the  hare  a  duck,  in  the  duck  an  egg,  and  in 
the  egg  my  death,"  said  he,  and  flew  away. 

Vassilissa  Kirbityevna  told  all  this  to  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich.  They  took  supplies  and  went  to  find  Kosh- 
che7s  death.  Whether  they  travelled  long  or  short, 
they  ate  all  their  provisions  and  began  to  be  hungry. 


Koshchei  Without -Death.  173 

A  dog  with  her  whelps  happened  in  their  way.  "  I 
will  kill  her,"  said  Bulat  the  hero ;  "  there  is  nothing 
else  to  eat." 

"  Do  not  kill  me,"  said  the  dog,  "  do  not  make  my 
children  orphans,  and  I  will  serve  thee  myself." 

"  Well,  God  be  with  thee." 

They  went  farther.  On  an  oak  was  an  eagle  with 
eaglets.  Said  Bulat  the  hero :  "  I  will  kill  the  eagle." 

"  Kill  me  not,"  said  the  eagle,  "  make  not  my 
children  orphans ;  I  will  serve  thee  myself." 

"  Let  it  be  so ;  live  to  thy  health." 

They  came  to  the  ocean  sea  wide;  on  the  shore 
a  lobster  was  crawling.  Said  Bulat  the  hero:  "I  will 
kill  it  with  a  blow." 

"  Strike  me  not,  good  hero ;  there  is  not  much 
good  in  me.  Wilt  eat  me,  thou  'It  not  be  satisfied. 
The  time  will  come  when  I  will  serve  thee  myself." 

"  Well,  crawl  off  with  God,"  said  Bulat  the  hero. 
He  looked  on  the  sea,  saw  a  fisherman  in  a  boat,  and 
shouted,  "  Come  to  shore."  The  fisherman  brought 
the  boat.  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  Bulat  the  hero  sat  in 
it  and  went  to  the  island ;  they  landed,  and  came  to 
the  oak.  Bulat  the  hero  caught  the  oak  with  his 
mighty  hands  and  tore  it  out  with  the  roots.  They 
took  the  chest  from  under  the  oak,  opened  it ;  out  of 
the  chest  sprang  a  hare,  and  ran  with  all  its  breath. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Ivan  Tsarevich,  "  if  the  dog  were  here 
now,  she  would  catch  the  hare." 

Behold,  the  dog  is  bringing  the  hare.     Bulat  the 


174       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

hero  tore  it  open ;  out  of  the  hare  flew  the  duck  and 
rose  high  in  the  air. 

"  Ah !  "  said  Ivan  Tsarevich,  "  if  the  eagle  were 
here,  she  would  catch  the  duck."  And  already  the 
eagle  was  bringing  the  duck. 

Bulat  the  hero  tore  open  the  duck ;  an  egg  rolled 
out  and  fell  into  the  sea. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Ivan  Tsarevich,  "  if  the  lobster  would 
pull  it  out."  The  lobster  was  crawling  and  bringing 
the  egg.  They  took  the  egg,  went  to  Koshchdi 
Without-Death,  struck  him  with  the  egg  on  the  fore- 
head ;  that  moment  he  stretched  out  and  died. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  took  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna,  and 
they  went  their  way.  They  travelled  and  travelled ; 
dark  night  overtook  them;  they  pitched  their  tent. 
Vassilissa  Kirbityevna  lay  down  to  rest.  Said  Bulat 
the  hero,  "  Lie  down  too,  Tsarevich,  and  I  will  stand 
guard." 

At  dark  midnight  twelve  doves  appeared,  struck 
wing  against  wing,  and  became  maidens. 

"  Well,  Bulat  the  hero  and  Ivan  Tsarevich,  ye 
killed  our  brother,  Koshch^i  Without-Death,  ye  car- 
ried away  our  sister-in-law,  Vassilissa  Kirbftyevna; 
but  no  good  will  come  to  you  either.  When  Ivan 
Tsarevich  comes  home,  he  will  give  command  to 
bring  out  his  favorite  dog,  the  dog  will  break  away 
from  the  keeper  and  tear  the  Tsarevich  into  small 
pieces ;  but  whoso  hears  this  and  tells  Ivan  what  we 
have  said  will  become  stone  to  the  knees." 


Koshchei  Without- Death.  175 

In  the  morning  Bulat  the  hero  roused  the  Tsarevich 
and  Vassilissa  Kirbftyevna;  they  made  ready  and 
went  their  road  and  way.  A  second  night  overtook 
them;  they  pitched  their  tent  in  the  open  field. 
Again  Bulat  said :  "  Lie  down  to  sleep,  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich; I  will  stand  guard."  In  the  dark  midnight 
twelve  doves  came  flying,  they  struck  wing  against 
wing,  and  became  maidens. 

"  Well,  Bulat  and  Ivan  Tsarevich,  ye  killed  our 
brother,  Koshchei  Without-Death,  ye  carried  away 
our  sister-in-law;  but  no  good  will  come  to  you,  for 
when  Ivan  Tsarevich  comes  home  he  will  give  com- 
mand to  bring  out  his  favorite  horse,  on  which  he 
has  ridden  since  childhood.  The  horse  will  tear 
away  from  the  groom  and  beat  the  Tsarevich  to 
death ;  and  whoso  hears  this  and  tells  him  will  become 
stone  to  the  girdle." 

Morning  came,  again  they  travelled  on.  A  third 
night  overtook  them.  They  pitched  their  tent  and 
stopped  in  the  open  field.  Bulat  said :  "  Lie  down 
to  sleep,  Ivan  Tsarevich ;  I  will  stand  watch."  Again 
at  midnight  twelve  doves  came  flying,  struck  wing 
against  wing,  and  became  maidens. 

"Well,  Bulat  and  Ivan  Tsarevich,  ye  killed  our 
brother,  Koshchei  Without-Death,  and  carried  away 
our  sister-in-law;  but  no  good  will  come  to  you. 
When  Ivan  Tsarevich  comes  home  he  will  give  com- 
mand to  lead  out  his  favorite  cow,  on  whose  milk  he 
has  been  nourished  since  childhood.  She  will  tear 


176       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

away  from  the  herder  and  raise  the  Tsarevich  on  her 
horns.  But  whoso  sees  and  hears  us,  and  tells  him 
this,  will  become  altogether  stone."  They  finished 
the  sentence,  turned  into  doves,  and  flew  home. 

In  the  morning  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  Vassilissa  set 
out  on  the  road.  The  Tsarevich  came  home,  mar- 
ried Vassilissa  Kirbityevna;  and  in  a  day  or  two  he 
said  to  her,  "  I  will  show  thee  my  favorite  dog,  with 
which  I  played  all  the  time  when  I  was  little." 

Bulat  the  hero  took  his  sword,  ground  it  sharp, 
sharp,  and  stood  at  the  porch.  They  were  bringing  the 
dog.  It  tore  away  from  the  keeper  and  ran  straight 
to  the  porch ;  but  Bulat  drew  his  sword  and  cut  the 
dog  in  two.  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  angry,  but  for 
Bulat's  former  service  he  was  silent. 

The  next  day  he  ordered  them  to  bring  out  his 
favorite  horse.  The  horse  broke  his  halter,  tore 
away  from  the  groom,  and  galloped  straight  at 
Ivan  Tsarevich.  Bulat  the  hero  cut  off  the  horse's 
head. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  was  still  more  in  anger,  and  gave 
command  to  seize  Bulat  and  hang  him;  but  Vassilissa 
Kirbftyevna  interceded.  "  Had  it  not  been  for  him," 
said  she,  "  thou  wouldst  never  have  won  me." 

On  the  third  day  the  Tsarevich  gave  command  to 
lead  out  his  favorite  cow.  She  tore  away  from  the 
herder  and  ran  straight  at  the  Tsarevich.  Bulat  cut 
off  her  head  too. 

Now  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  so  enraged  that  he  would 


Koshchei  Without- Death.  177 

listen  to  no  one,  gave  orders  to  call  the  headsman 
to  put  Bulat  to  death  on  the  spot. 

"  Oh,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  if 'tis  thy  wish  to  put  me  to 
death  by  the  executioner,  better  let  me  die  of  my- 
self; only  let  me  speak  three  speeches." 

Bulat  told  about  the  first  night,  how  twelve  doves 
flew  to  them  in  the  open  field,  and  what  they  said. 
That  moment  he  was  stone  to  the  knees ;  he  told  of 
the  second  night,  and  was  stone  to  the  girdle.  Now 
Ivan  Tsarevich  begged  him  not  to  speak  to  the  end. 
Bulat  answered :  "  T  is  all  the  same  now,  I  am  stone 
to  the  girdle ;  it  is  not  worth  while  to  live."  He  told 
of  the  third  night,  and  was  all  stone. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  put  him  in  a  chamber  apart,  went 
there  each  day  with  Vassilissa,  and  wept  bitterly. 

Years  passed  on.  Once  Ivan  Tsarevich  was  weep- 
ing over  the  stone  hero  Bulat,  and  heard  a  voice 
coming  out  of  the  stone:  "  Why  dost  thou  weep? 
It  is  hard  for  me  even  as  I  am." 

"  Why  should  I  not  weep  ?  How  can  I  help  it  ? 
Thou  knowest  I  destroyed  thee." 

"  If  thou  wishest,  thou  canst  save  me.  Thou  hast 
two  children,  —  a  son  and  a  daughter.  Kill  them, 
pour  their  blood  into  a  vessel,  and  rub  this  stone  with 
the  blood." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  told  this  to  Vassilissa  Kirbityevna. 
They  grieved  and  mourned;  decided  to  kill  their 
children.  They  killed  them,  gathered  the  blood,  and 

rubbed  the  stone. 

12 


178        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

When  Bulat  the  hero  came  to  life  he  asked  the 
Tsarevich  and  his  wife,  "  Were  ye  grieved  for  the 
children?" 

"  We  were  grieved,  Bulat." 

"  Well,  let  us  go  to  their  room." 

They  went,  and  behold,  the  children  were  alive ! 
The  father  and  mother  were  delighted,  and  in  their 
delight  gave  a  feast  to  all. 


GO  TO  THE  VERGE  OF  DESTRUCTION  AND 
BRING   BACK   SHMAT-RAZUM. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom  there  lived  a  wifeless,  un- 
married king,  who  had  a  whole  company  of 
sharpshooters.  They  went  to  the  forests,  shot 
birds  of  passage,  and  furnished  the  king's  table  with 
game.  Among  these  sharpshooters  was  one  named 
Fedot,  who  hit  the  mark  and  almost  never  missed ; 
for  this  reason  the  king  loved  him  beyond  all  his 
comrades. 

Once  while  shooting  in  the  early  morning,  just  at 
dawn,  Fedot  went  into  a  dark,  dense  forest,  and  saw  a 
blue  dove  sitting  on  a  tree.  He  aimed,  fired,  struck 
her  wing,  and  she  fell  to  the  damp  earth.  The  sharp- 
shooter picked  her  up,  was  going  to  twist  her  neck 
and  put  her  in  his  bag,  when  the  blue  dove  spoke : 
"  Oh,  brave  youth,  do  not  tear  off  my  stormy  little 
head,  do  not  send  me  out  of  the  white  world  !  Better 
take  me  alive,  carry  me  home,  put  me  on  the  window, 
and  watch.  As  soon  as  sleep  comes  upon  me  strike 
me  that  moment  with  the  back  of  thy  right  hand,  and 
thou  wilt  gain  great  fortune." 

Fedot  marvelled.  "What  can  it  mean?"  thought 
he ;  "  in  seeming  a  bird,  but  she  speaks  with  a 


180       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

human  voice.  Never  has  such  a  thing  happened  to 
me  before." 

He  brought  the  bird  home,  placed  her  on  the  win- 
dow, and  stood  waiting.  After  a  short  time  the  bird 
put  her  head  under  her  wing  and  fell  asleep.  The 
sharpshooter  struck  her  lightly  with  the  back  of  his 
right  hand.  The  blue  dove  fell  to  the  floor,  and 
became  a  soul-maiden  so  beautiful  as  not  to  be 
imagined  nor  described,  but  only  told  about  in  a 
tale.  Such  another  beauty  could  not  be  found  in 
the  whole  world. 

Said  she  to  the  young  man,  the  king's  sharp- 
shooter: "Thou  hast  known  how  to  get  me;  now 
know  how  to  live  with  me.  Thou  wilt  be  my  wedded 
husband,  and  I  thy  God-given  wife.  I  am  not  a  blue 
dove,  but  a  king's  daughter." 

They  agreed.  Fedot  married  her,  and  they  lived 
together.  He  is  happy  with  his  young  wife,  but  does 
not  forget  his  service.  Every  morning  at  dawn  he 
takes  his  gun,  goes  out  into  the  forest,  and  shoots 
game,  which  he  carries  to  the  king's  kitchen. 

His  wife  sees  that  he  is  wearied  from  this  hunting, 
and  says :  "  Listen,  my  dear.  I  am  sorry  for  thee. 
Every  God-given  day  thou  dost  wander  through 
forests  and  swamps,  comest  home  wet  and  worn, 
and  profit  to  us  not  a  whit.  What  sort  of  a  life  is 
this?  But  I  know  something  so  that  thou  wilt  not 
be  without  gain.  Get  of  roubles  two  hundred,  and 
we  will  correct  the  whole  business." 


Shmat-Razum.  1 8 1 


Fedot  rushed  around  to  his  friends,  got  a  rouble 
from  one,  and  two  from  another,  till  he  had  just  two 
hundred.  "  Now,"  said  his  wife,  "  buy  different  kinds 
of  silk  for  this  money." 

He  bought  the  silk ;  she  took  it,  and  said :  "  Be  not 
troubled ;  pray  to  God  and  lie  down  to  sleep :  the 
morning  is  wiser  than  the  evening." 

He  lay  down  and  fell  asleep;  his  wife  went  out  on 
the  porch,  opened  her  magic  book,  and  two  unknown 
youths  appeared  at  once.  "What  dost  thou  wish? 
Command  us." 

"  Take  this  silk,  and  in  one  single  hour  make  a 
piece  of  such  wonderful  tapestry  as  has  not  been  seen 
in  the  world ;  let  the  whole  kingdom  be  embroidered 
on  it,  with  towns,  villages,  rivers,  and  lakes." 

They  went  to  work,  and  not  only  in  an  hour,  but  in 
ten  minutes  they  had  the  tapestry  finished,  —  a  won- 
der for  all.  They  gave  it  to  the  sharpshooter's  wife, 
and  vanished  in  an  instant  just  as  if  they  never  had 
been.  In  the  morning  she  gave  the  tapestry  to  her 
husband.  "  Here,"  said  she,  "  take  this  to  the  mer- 
chants' rows,  sell  it,  but  see  that  thou  ask  no  price  of 
thy  own;  take  what  they  give." 

Fedot  went  to  the  merchants'  rows ;  a  trader  saw 
him,  came  up,  and  asked :  "  Well,  my  good  man,  is 
this  article  for  sale?" 

"  It  is." 

"  What's  the  price?" 

"  Thou  art  a  dealer,  name  the  price." 


1 82       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  merchant  thought  and  thought,  but  could  not 
fix  a  price.  Now  a  second,  a  third,  and  a  fourth  came  ; 
no  one  could  set  a  price  on  the  tapestry.  At  this 
time  the  mayor  of  the  palace  was  passing  by  and  saw 
the  crowd ;  wishing  to  know  what  the  merchants  were 
talking  about,  he  jumped  out  of  his  carriage,  came 
up  to  them,  and  said :  "  Good  morning,  merchants, 
dealers,  guests  from  beyond  the  sea;  what  is  the 
question?" 

"  Here  is  a  piece  of  tapestry  that  we  cannot  value." 

The  mayor  looked  at  the  tapestry  and  marvelled 
himself.  "  Look  here,  sharpshooter,"  said  he,  "  tell 
me  in  truth  and  sincerity  where  didst  thou  get  such 
glorious  tapestry?" 

"  My  wife  made  it." 

"  How  much  must  one  give  for  it?  " 

"  I  know  not  myself;  my  wife  told  me  to  set  no 
price  on  it,  but  what  people  would  give,  that  would 
be  ours." 

"  Well  here  are  ten  thousand  for  thee." 

Fedot  took  the  money  and  gave  up  the  tapestry. 
The  mayor  was  always  near  the  person  of  the  king, 
ate  and  drank  at  his  table.  When  he  went  to  the 
king's  to  dine  he  took  the  tapestry.  "  Would  it  not 
please  your  Majesty  to  see  what  a  glorious  piece  of 
work  I  have  bought  to-day?" 

The  king  looked ;  he  saw  his  whole  kingdom  as  if 
on  the  palm  of  his  hand.  He  opened  his  mouth  in 
amazement. 


Shmat-Razum.  183 


"  This  is  indeed  work ;  in  all  my  life  I  have  never 
seen  such  cunning  art.  Well,  mayor,  say  what  thou 
pleasest,  but  I  shall  not  give  this  back  to  thee." 
Straightway  the  king  took  twenty-five  thousand  out 
of  his  pocket,  placed  the  money  in  the  mayor's  hand, 
and  hung  the  tapestry  in  the  palace. 

"  That 's  nothing,"  thought  the  mayor;  "  I  will  order 
another  still  better."  Straightway  he  galloped  to  find 
the  sharpshooter,  found  his  cottage,  went  in ;  and  the 
moment  he  saw  Fedot's  wife  he  forgot  himself,  his 
errand,  knew  not  why  he  had  come.  Before  him  was 
such  a  beauty  that  he  would  not  take  his  eyes  off  her 
all  his  life;  he  would  have  looked  and  looked.  He 
gazes  on  another  man's  wife,  and  in  his  head  thought 
follows  thought :  "  Where  has  it  been  seen,  where 
heard  of,  that  a  simple  soldier  possessed  such  a  treas- 
ure ?  Though  I  serve  the  king's  person  and  rank  as 
a  general  I  have  never  beheld  such  beauty !  " 

The  mayor  came  to  his  mind  with  difficulty,  and 
went  home,  gainst  his  will.  From  that  hour,  from 
that  time,  he  was  not  his  own.  Sleeping  or  wak- 
ing, he  thought  only  of  the  beautiful  woman;  he 
could  neither  eat  nor  drink,  she  was  ever  before  his 
eyes.  The  king  noticed  the  change,  and  asked: 
"  What  has  come  upon  thee,  —  some  grief?  " 

"  Oh,  your  Majesty,  I  have  seen  the  sharpshooter's 
wife ;  there  is  not  such  a  beauty  in  the  whole  world  ! 
I  am  thinking  of  her  all  the  time ;  I  can  neither  eat 
nor  drink,  with  no  herb  can  I  charm  away  my  sorrow." 


184       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  desire  came  to  the  king  to  admire  the  woman 
himself.  He  ordered  his  carnage  and  drove  to  the 
soldier's  quarters.  He  entered  the  room  and  saw 
unspeakable  beauty.  No  matter  who  looked  on  the 
woman,  —  an  old  man,  a  youth;  each  was  in  love, 
lost  his  wits,  a  heart-flame  pinched  him.  "  Why," 
thought  the  king,  "am  I  wifeless  and  single?  Let  me 
marry  this  beauty,  —  that  is  the  thing.  Why  is  she  a 
sharpshooter's  wife?  It  is  her  fate  to  be  queen." 

The  king  returned  to  his  palace  and  said  to  the 
mayor :  "  Listen  to  me  !  Thou  hast  known  how  to  show 
me  this  unimaginable  beauty,  now  find  the  way  to 
get  rid  of  her  husband ;  I  want  to  marry  her  myself. 
And  if  thou  dost  not  put  him  out  of  the  way,  blame 
thyself;  for  though  thou  art  my  faithful  servant, 
thou  'It  die  on  the  gallows." 

The  mayor  went  his  way  sadder  than  before. 
How  was  he  to  "finish  the  sharpshooter?"  he 
could  not  think.  As  he  was  going  through  back 
lanes  and  waste  places,  a  Baba-Yaga  met  him. 

"  Stop,"  said  she,  "  servant  of  the  king !  I  know 
all  thy  thoughts.  If  thou  wilt,  I  will  aid  thee  in  this 
unavoidable  sorrow." 

"Aid  me,  grandmother,  and  I'll  pay  what  thou 
wishest." 

"The  king  has  ordered  thee  to  put  an  end  to 
Fedot  the  sharpshooter.  That  would  be  easy 
enough,  for  he  is  simple,  were  it  not  for  his  wife, 
who  is  awfully  cunning.  Well,  we  '11  give  them 


Shmat-Razum.  185 


such  a  riddle  that  it  will  not  soon  be  explained. 
Go  back  to  the  king  and  say :  '  Beyond  the  thrice- 
ninth  land,  in  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  is  an  island,  on 
that  island  a  deer  with  golden  horns.'  Let  the  king 
bring  together  half  a  hundred  sailors,  —  the  most 
good-for-nothing  fellows,  all  bitter  drunkards,  —  and 
order  that  a  rotten  old  ship  which  has  been  out  of 
service  for  thirty  years  be  fitted  for  the  voyage.  Let 
him  send  Fedot  the  sharpshooter  on  that  ship  to 
get  the  deer  with  golden  horns.  In  order  to  go  to 
the  island  it  is  necessary  to  sail  neither  more  nor 
less  than  three  years,  and  back  from  the  island  three 
more ;  six  in  all.  Well,  the  ship  will  sail  out  on  the 
sea,  serve  about  a  month,  and  sink  right  there;  the 
sharpshooter  and  the  sailors  will  go  to  the  bottom, 
every  man  ! ' ' 

The  mayor  listened  to  these  words,  thanked  the 
Baba-Yaga  for  her  counsel,  rewarded  her  with  gold, 
and  went  off  on  a  run  to  the  king.  "  Your  Majesty," 
said  he,  "  Fedot  can  be  finished  in  such  and  such 
fashion." 

The  king  consented,  and  issued  an  order  at  once 
to  the  navy  to  prepare  for  a  voyage  an  old  rotten 
ship,  to  provision  it  for  six  years,  and  man  it  with 
fifty  sailors,  the  most  dissolute  and  bitter  drunk- 
ards. Messengers  ran  to  all  the  dram-shops  and 
drinking-houses,  collected  such  sailors  that  it  was 
dear  and  precious  to  look  at  them.  One  had  a  black 
eye,  another  had  his  nose  driven  to  one  side. 


1 86        Russian  Myths  and  .Folk -Tales. 

As  soon  as  it  was  reported  to  the  king  that  the 
ship  was  ready,  he  sent  for  the  sharpshooter  and 
said:  "Now,  Fedot,  thou  art  a  hero  of  mine, —  the 
first  shot  in  the  company.  Do  me  a  service.  Go 
beyond  the  thrice-ninth  land  to  the  thirtieth  king- 
dom. In  that  place  is  an  island,  on  that  island  lives 
the  deer  with  golden  horns.  Take  it  alive,  and  bring 
it  to  me." 

Fedot  became  thoughtful,  knew  not  what  to  answer. 

"Think,  think  not,"  said  the  king;  "but  if  thou 
do  not  the  work,  I  have  a  sword,  and  thy  head  leaves 
thy  shoulders !  " 

Fedot  wheeled  round  to  the  left  and  went  forth 
from  the  palace,  came  home  in  the  evening  power- 
fully sad,  not  wishing  to  utter  one  word. 

"Why  dost  thou  grieve,  my  dearest?"  asked  his 
wife.  "Is  there  some  mishap?" 

He  told  her  all. 

"  This  is  why  thou  art  grieved.  There  is  reason, 
indeed ;  for  it  is  an  exploit,  not  a  service.  Pray  to 
God  and  lie  down  to  sleep;  the  morning  is  wiser 
than  the  evening:  everything  will  be  done." 

The  sharpshooter  lay  down  and  slept.  But  his 
wife  opened  her  magic-book,  at  once  two  unknown 
youths  appeared  before  her  and  asked :  "  What  dost 
thou  wish  ?  What  dost  thou  need  ?  " 

"  Go  beyond  the  thrice-ninth  land  to  the  thirtieth 
kingdom,  to  an  island;  seize  there  the  deer  with 
golden  horns,  and  bring  it  here." 


Shmat-Razum.  187 


"We  obey;  it  will  be  done  before  dawn." 

They  rushed  like  a  whirlwind  to  the  island,  caught 
the  deer  with  golden  horns,  and  brought  it  straight 
to  Fedot's  house.  An  hour  before  daybreak  all  was 
done,  and  they  vanished  as  if  they  had  never  been. 
The  beautiful  wife  roused  her  husband  at  dawn  and 
said :  "  Look  out ;  the  deer  with  golden  horns  is  walk- 
ing in  the  yard.  Take  it  with  thee  on  board  the 
ship,  sail  forward  five  days,  on  the  sixth  turn  back." 

The  sharpshooter  put  the  deer  in  a  close,  fastened 
cage,  and  had  it  carried  on  board  the  ship. 

"What's  there?"  asked  the  sailors. 

"  Oh,  supplies  and  medicine  !  It 's  a  long  voyage ; 
we  shall  need  many  a  thing." 

The  day  for  sailing  came.  A  great  crowd  of 
people  went  to  see  the  ship  leave  the  wharf.  The 
king  went  himself,  made  Fedot  chief  over  all  the 
sailors,  and  bade  him  farewell. 

The  vessel  sailed  five  days  on  the  sea ;  the  shores 
had  long  vanished.  Fedot  ordered  a  hundred-and- 
twenty-gallon  cask  to  be  rolled  on  to  the  deck,  and 
said  to  the  sailors :  "  Drink,  brothers ;  spare  it  not, 
your  souls  are  your  measure !  " 

They  were  delighted,  rushed  to  the  cask,  began 
to  drink,  and  got  so  drunk  that  they  rolled  down  on 
the  deck,  and  fell  fast  asleep  at  the  side  of  the  cask. 
Fedot  took  the  helm,  turned  the  ship  around  toward 
the  harbor,  and  sailed  home.  So  that  the  sailors 
should  not  know  anything  about  it,  he  kept  pouring 


1 88       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

liquor  into  them  from  morning  till  night ;  when  they 
began  to  open  their  eyes  after  one  drunken  fit,  a 
new  cask  was  ready.  On  the  eleventh  day  the  ship 
drew  up  at  the  wharf;  the  flag  was  hoisted,  and  guns 
fired.  The  king  heard  the  firing,  and  ran  down  to 
the  landing.  "What  does  all  this  mean?"  He  saw 
the  sharpshooter,  fell  into  a  towering  passion,  and 
rushed  at  him  furiously.  "  How  hast  thou  dared  to 
come  back  before  time  ?  " 

"  But  where  was  I  to  go,  your  Majesty?  Some  fool 
might  have  spent  ten  years  in  sailing  over  the  seas 
and  got  nothing ;  but  I,  instead  of  spending  six  years, 
did  the  work  in  ten  days.  Would  you  be  pleased  to 
look  at  the  golden-horned  deer?" 

Straightway  they  brought  the  cage  from  the  ship 
and  let  out  the  golden-horned  deer.  The  king  saw 
that  the  sharpshooter  was  right ;  he  could  not  touch 
him,  he  let  him  go  home.  The  sailors  had  a  holiday 
for  six  years ;  no  one  could  ask  them  to  work  during 
that  time,  for  the  voyage  was  counted  as  six  years, 
and  they  had  served  their  time. 

Next  day  the  king  called  the  mayor  into  his  pres- 
ence and  threatened  him :  "  What  meanest  thou  ;  art 
making  sport  of  me?  Tis  clear  thy  head  is  not  dear 
to  thee.  Do  what  thou  pleasest,  but  find  means  of 
putting  Fedot  to  a  cruel  death." 

"  Let  me  think,  your  Majesty ;  we  may  mend 
matters."  The  mayor  went  his  way,  betook  himself 
to  back  lanes  and  waste  places,  met  the  Baba-Yaga. 


Shmat-Razum.  189 


"  Stop,  servant  of  the  king !  I  know  thy  thoughts  : 
dost  wish  I  will  help  thee  in  trouble?" 

"  Oh,  help  me,  grandmother !  Fedot  has  brought 
the  deer  with  golden  horns." 

"  Oh,  I  have  heard  that  already.  It  would  be  as 
easy  to  put  Fedot  out  of  the  way  as  to  take  a  pinch 
of  snuff,  for  he  is  simple ;  but  his  wife  is  terribly  cun- 
ning. Well,  we  '11  give  them  another  riddle  that  they 
will  not  solve  so  quickly.  Tell  the  king  to  send  the 
sharpshooter  to  the  verge  of  destruction  and  bring 
back  Shmat-Razum,  —  that's  a  task  he  will  not  ac- 
complish to  all  eternity;  he  will  either  be  lost  without 
tidings,  or  come  back  empty-handed." 

The  mayor  rewarded  the  old  witch  with  gold  and 
hurried  to  the  king,  who  heard  him  and  summoned 
Fedot. 

"Fedot,"  said  the  king,  "  thou  art  a  hero,  the 
best  shot  I  have.  Thou  hast  brought  me  the  deer 
with  golden  horns,  now  thou  must  do  me  another 
service ;  and  if  thou  wilt  not  do  it,  I  have  a  sword, 
and  thy  head  leaves  thy  shoulders.  Thou  must  go 
to  the  verge  of  destruction  and  bring  back  Shmat- 
Razum." 

Fedot  turned  to  the  left,  walked  out  of  the  palace, 
went  home  sad  and  thoughtful. 

"  My  dear,"  asked  his  wife,  "why  art  thou  sad,  has 
some  misfortune  happened?" 

"  Ah,"  said  he,  "  one  woe  has  rolled  from  my  neck 
and  another  rolled  on !  The  king  sends  me  to  the 


i  go       jRusstan  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

verge   of  destruction  to  bring   back  Shmat-Razum. 
For  thy  beauty  I  bear  all  this  trouble  and  care." 

"That,"  said  she,  "  is  no  small  task, — nine  years 
to  go  there,  and  nine  to  come  back,  eighteen  in  all. 
Will  good  come  of  it?  God  knows.  But  pray  to  the 
Lord  and  lie  down  to  sleep;  the  morning  is  wiser 
than  the  evening.  To-morrow  thou  'It  know  all." 

After  Fedot  had  lain  down,  his  wife  opened  her 
magic  book  and  asked  the  two  unknown  youths  if 
they  knew  how  to  go  to  the  verge  of  destruction  and 
bring  back  Shmat-Razum.  They  answered :  "  We 
know  not."  In  the  morning  she  roused  her  hus- 
band and  said,  "  Go  to  the  king  and  ask  for  the  road 
golden  treasure,  —  thou  hast  eighteen  years  to  wan- 
der ;  when  thou  hast  the  money  come  home  for  the 
parting." 

Fedot  got  the  money  from  the  king  and  returned" 
to  take  farewell  of  his  wife.  She  gave  him  a  towel 
and  a  ball,  and  said :  "  When  thou  goest  out  of  the 
town  throw  the  ball  down  before  thee,  and  wherever 
it  rolls  do  thou  follow.  Here  is  a  towel  of  my  own 
work;  no  matter  where  thou  art,  wipe  thy  face  with 
it  after  washing." 

Fedot  took  farewell  of  his  wife  and  comrades, 
bowed  down  on  all  four  sides,  and  went  beyond  the 
barrier.  He  threw  down  the  ball  before  him;  it 
rolled,  rolled  on,  and  he  followed  after. 

About  a  month  had  passed,  when  the  king  sum- 
moned the  mayor  and  said :  "  The  sharpshooter  has 


Shmat-Razum.  191 


gone  to  wander  over  the  white  world  for  eighteen 
years ;  it  is  evident  that  he  will  not  come  back  alive. 
Eighteen  years,  as  thou  knowest,  are  not  two  weeks ; 
many  a  thing  may  happen  on  the  road.  He  has 
much  money,  and  robbers  will  fall  upon  him  perhaps, 
strip  him,  and  give  him  to  a  savage  death.  I  think  we 
can  begin  at  his  wife  now.  Take  my  carriage,  drive  to 
the  soldier's  quarters,  and  bring  her  to  the  palace." 

The  mayor  drove  to  Fedot's  house,  entered,  saluted 
the  sharpshooter's  wife,  and  said :  "  Hail,  witty  woman, 
the  king  has  ordered  us  to  present  thee  at  the  palace." 

She  went.  The  king  received  her  with  gladness, 
led  her  to  a  golden  chamber,  and  spoke  these  words : 
"Dost  thou  wish  to  be  queen?  I  will  take  thee  in 
marriage." 

"  Where  has  it  ever  been  seen  or  heard  of,"  asked 
she,  "  that  a  wife  was  taken  from  her  living  hus- 
band? Though  he  is  a  simple  soldier  he  is  my  law- 
ful husband." 

"  If  thou  wilt  not  yield  of  thy  free  will,  I  will  take 
thee  by  force." 

The  beautiful  woman  laughed,  struck  the  floor,  be- 
came a  blue  dove,  and  flew  out  through  the  window. 

Fedot  journeyed  over  many  lands  and  king- 
doms, the  ball  rolling  ahead  of  him  all  the  time. 
When  he  came  to  a  river  the  ball  became  a  bridge ; 
whenever  he  wanted  rest  it  became  a  soft  couch. 
Whether  it  is  long  or  short,  a  story  is  soon  told,  but 
a  deed  is  not  soon  done ;  the  sharpshooter  arrived  at 


1 92       Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Taks. 

a  splendid  palace,  the  ball  rolled  to  the  gate  and  dis- 
appeared. Fedot  went  straight  up  the  stairs  into  a 
rich  chamber,  where  he  was  met  by  three  maidens  of 
unspeakable  loveliness. 

"Whence  comest,  good  man,  and  for  what?" 

"  Oh,  beautiful  maidens,  ye  have  not  let  me  rest 
after  the  long  journey,  but  have  begun  to  inquire. 
First  ye  should  give  me  to  eat  and  drink,  put  me  to 
rest,  and  then  make  inquiry." 

Straightway  they  set  the  table.  When  he  had  eaten 
and  drunk  and  rested,  they  brought  him  water,  a 
basin,  and  an  embroidered  towel.  He  took  not  the 
towel,  but  said,  "  I  have  one  of  my  own."  When 
they  saw  it  they  asked :  "  Good  man,  where  didst 
thou  get  that  towel  ?  " 

"  My  wife  gave  it  me." 

"  Then  thy  wife  is  our  own  sister." 

They  called  their  aged  mother.  The  moment  she 
saw  the  towel  she  recognized  it.  "  Why,  this  is  my 
daughter's  work."  She  asked  the  guest  all  sorts  of 
questions.  He  told  her  how  he  had  married  her 
daughter,  and  how  the  king  had  sent  him  to  the  verge 
of  destruction  to  bring  back  Shmat-Razum. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  son-in-law,  of  that  wonder  even 
I  have  not  heard !  Wait  a  moment ;  maybe  my 
servants  have." 

She  went  out  on  the  balcony  and  called  in  a  loud 
voice.  Presently  all  kinds  of  beasts  ran  up,  and  all 
kinds  of  birds  flew  to  her.  "  Hail  to  you,  beasts  of 


Shmat-Razum. 


193 


the  wilderness,  birds  of  the  air !  Ye  beasts  run 
through  all  places,  ye  birds  fly  everywhere ;  have  ye 
never  heard  how  to  go  to  the  verge  of  destruction, 
where  Shmat-Razum  lives?  " 

All  the  beasts  and  birds  answered  in  one  voice : 
"  No ;  we  have  never  heard !  " 

Then  the  old  woman  sent  them  all  to  their  homes  in 
hidden  places,  forests,  and  thickets  ;  went  to  her  magic 
book,  opened  it,  and  that  instant  two  giants  appeared. 
"  What  is  thy  pleasure ;  what  dost  thou  wish?  " 

"  This,  my  faithful  servants,  —  bear  my  son-in-law 
and  me  to  the  ocean  sea  wide,  and  stop  just  in  the 
middle  above  the  very  abyss." 

Immediately  they  seized  the  sharpshooter  and  the 
old  woman  and  bore  them  on  like  a  stormy  whirl- 
wind till  they  stopped  just  in  the  middle  above  the 
abyss.  They  stood  up  themselves  like  pillars,  hold- 
ing the  old  woman  and  the  sharpshooter  in  their 
arms.  The  old  woman  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice, 
and  all  the  fishes  and  living  things  in  the  sea  swam 
to  her  in  such  multitudes  that  the  blue  sea  could  not 
be  seen  for  them :  "  Hail,  fish  and  worms  of  the  sea ! 
Ye  swim  in  all  places,  ye  pass  by  all  islands;  have 
ye  not  heard  how  to  go  to  the  verge  of  destruction, 
where  lives  Shmat-Razum?" 

All  worms  and  fishes  answered  in  one  voice,  "  No ; 
we  Ve  not  heard  !  " 

All  at  once  an  old  limping  frog,  who  had  been 
thirty  years  out  of  service,  pushed  her  way  to  the 

13 


194        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

front   and  said,   "  Kwa-kwa !   I   know  where  to  find 
such  a  wonder !  " 

"  Well,  then,  my  dear,  thou  art  the  person  I  need," 
said  the  old  woman.  She  took  the  frog,  and  com- 
manded the  giants  to  bear  them  home.  They  were 
at  the  palace  in  a  flash.  The  old  woman  asked  the 
frog  how  her  son  was  to  go. 

"  Oh !  "  said  the  frog,  "  that  place  is  at  the  rim  of 
the  world,  —  far,  far  away.  I  would  conduct  him 
myself,  but  I  am  very  old ;  I  can  barely  move  my 
legs,  —  I  could  n't  jump  there  in  fifty  years." 

The  old  woman  took  a  bowl  with  some  fresh  milk, 
put  the  frog  in  it,  gave  the  bowl  to  Fedot,  and  said : 
•"  Carry  this  in  thy  hand ;  she  will  show  thee  the  way." 

The  sharpshooter  took  farewell  of  the  old  woman 
and  her  daughters,  and  went  on  his  journey,  the  frog 
showing  him  the  way.  Whether  it  was  near  or  dis- 
tant, long  or  short,  he  came  at  last  to  a  flaming  river, 
.beyond  which  was  a  lofty  mountain  with  a  door  in 
:the  side. 

"  Kwa-kwa !  "  said  the  frog.  "  Put  me  down  out 
of  the  bowl ;  we  must  cross  the  river." 

He  put  her  on  the  ground. 

"  Now,  good  youth,  sit  thou  on  my  back ;  do  not 
spare  me." 

He  sat  on  her  back  and  pressed  her  to  the  ground ; 
she  began  to  swell,  and  swelled  until  she  was  as  big 
as  a  stack  of  hay.  The  sharpshooter's  one  care  was 
to  keep  from  falling.  "  If  I  fall,"  thought  he,  "  I 


Shmat-Razum.  195 


shall  be  crushed."  The  frog  cleared  the  flaming 
river  at  a  jump,  became  small  as  before,  and  said: 
"  Now,  good  youth,  I  will  wait  here ;  but  do  thou 
enter  that  door  in  the  mountain.  Thou  wilt  find  a 
cave,  —  hide  thyself  well.  After  a  time  two  old  men 
will  come  in :  listen  to  what  they  say,  and  watch  what 
they  do ;  when  they  are  gone,  act  as  they  did." 

The  sharpshooter  entered  the  door  of  the  moun- 
tain ;  it  was  so  dark  in  the  cave  that  if  a  man  strained 
his  eyes  out  he  could  not  see  a  thing.  Fedot  felt 
around  and  found  a  cupboard,  crept  in.  After  a 
while  two  old  men  entered  and  said,  "Shmat-Razum, 
feed  us !  " 

That  moment,  however  it  happened,  the  lamps  were 
lighted,  the  dishes  and  plates  rattled,  and  various 
kinds  of  food  and  wine  appeared  on  the  table.  The 
old  men  ate  and  drank,  and  then  ordered  Shmat- 
Razum  to  remove  everything.  Everything  disap- 
peared in  a  flash ;  neither  table,  nor  food,  nor  wine, 
nor  lights  remained.  The  two  old  men  went  out. 

The  sharpshooter  crawled  from  the  cupboard  and 
cried,  "  Hei,  Shmat-Razum  !  " 

"  What  dost  thou  wish? " 

"  Feed  me  !  " 

Again  the  lights,  the  table,  the  food  and  drink 
appeared  as  before.  Fedot  sat  at  the  table  and  said : 
"Hei,  Shmat-Razum,  sit  down  brother,  with  me,  we'll 
eat  and  drink  together;  it  is  irksome  for  me  alone." 

The  voice  of  the  unseen  answered :  "  Oh,  kind  man ! 


196       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

whence  has  God  brought  thee?  It  is  nearly  thirty 
years  that  I  serve  these  old  men  in  faith  and  in  truth, 
and  all  this  time  they  have  never  once  seated  me 
with  themselves." 

The  sharpshooter  looked  and  wondered.  He  saw 
no  one,  but  the  food  was  swept  from  the  plates  as 
if  with  a  broom ;  the  bottles  raised  themselves  and 
poured  the  wine  into  glasses,  —  behold,  in  a  moment 
bottles  and  glasses  are  empty ! 

"  Shmat-Razum,  dost  thou  wish  to  serve. me?" 
asked  the  sharpshooter.  "  I  '11  give  thee  a  pleasant 
life." 

"  Why  not?  I  am  sick  of  being  here;  and  thou,  I 
see,  art  a  kind  man." 

"  All  right ;  pick  up  everything  and  come  along." 
The  sharpshooter  went  out  of  the  cave,  looked  around, 
saw  no  one,  and  asked :  "  Art  thou  here,  Shmat- 
Razum?" 

"  Here ;   I  '11  not  leave  thee,  never  fear." 

"Very  well,"  said  Fedot,  and  sat  on  the  frog, — 
she  swelled,  jumped  over  the  river,  and  became 
small.  He  put  her  in  the  bowl,  and  went  on  the 
homeward  road,  came  to  his  mother-in-law,  and  made 
his  new  servant  entertain  the  old  woman  and  her 
daughters.  Shmat-Razum  gave  them  such  a  feast 
that  the  old  woman  came  very  near  dancing  from 
joy.  She  ordered  that  three  bowls  of  milk  be  given 
to  the  frog  every  day  in  reward  for  her  faithfulness. 
The  sharpshooter  bade  good  by  to  his  friends  and  set 


Shmat-Razum.  197 


out  for  home.  He  travelled  and  journeyed  till  he  was 
almost  wearied  to  death.  "  Oh,  Shmat-Razum,"  said 
he,  "  if  thou  couldst  only  know  how  tired  I  am,  I  am 
just  losing  my  legs." 

"  Why  not  tell  me  long  ago  ?  "  asked  the  other ; 
"  I  should  have  brought  thee  home  quickly."  With 
that  he  seized  Fedot  and  bore  him  like  a  rushing 
whirlwind,  so  swiftly  that  his  cap  fell  off. 

"Hei,  Shmat-Razum,  wait  a  minute;  my  cap  is 
gone." 

"  Late,  my  master;  thy  cap  is  now  three  thousand 
miles  behind." 

Towns  and  villages,  rivers  and  forests,  just  flashed 
before  the  eye ;  as  Fedot  was  flying  over  a  deep  sea 
Shmat-Razum  said :  "  If  thou  wishest,  I  will  make  a 
summer-house  in  the  midst  of  the  sea;  thou  canst 
rest,  and  acquire  great  fortune." 

"Well,  make  it." 

They  dropped  down  toward  the  sea,  and  behold, 
where  a  moment  before  the  waves  were  rolling,  an 
island  rose  up,  and  in  the  centre  a  golden  pleasure- 
house. 

"  Now,  my  master,  sit  down  in  this  house,  rest,  and 
look  at  the  sea.  Presently  three  merchant-ships  will 
sail  by  and  cast  anchor.  Invite  the  merchants,  enter- 
tain them  well,  and  exchange  me  for  three  wonder- 
ful things  which  they  have.  I  '11  come  to  thee  again 
in  my  own  time." 

Fedot  looked;   three   merchant  ships   were  sailing 


198       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

from  the  west.  The  merchants  saw  the  island  and 
wondered. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  asked  they.  "How 
many  times  have  we  sailed  by  here  and  seen  nothing 
but  water,  and  now  an  island  and  a  pleasure-house ! 
Let  us  stand  up  to  the  shore,  brothers,  let  us  look  and 
admire." 

They  stopped  the  ships,  cast  anchor;  the  three 
merchants  stepped  into  a  light  boat,  went  to  the 
island,  landed,  and  saluted  Fedot,  — 

"  Hail,  worthy  man  !  " 

"  Good  health  to  you,  foreign  merchants !  We 
crave  kindness.  Come  in,  rejoice,  have  a  good  time, 
and  rest  yourselves.  This  pleasure-house  was  made 
on  purpose  for  passing  guests."  They  went  in  and 
sat  down. 

"  Hei,  Shmat-Razum,  meat  and  drink !  "  A  table 
appeared ;  on  the  table  wines  and  meats,  whatever 
the  soul  could  desire  was  at  hand  in  a  moment.  The 
merchants  opened  their  mouths  in  amazement. 

"  Let  us  exchange,"  said  they.  "  Give  us  thy 
servant,  and  take  any  one  of  our  wonders." 

"  What  wonders  have  ye?  " 

"  Look,  and  thou  wilt  see." 

One  merchant  took  a  small  box  from  his  pocket 
and  opened  it:  that  minute  a  glorious  garden  was 
spread  over  the  whole  island  with  flowers  and  paths ; 
he  closed  the  box,  and  the  garden  was  gone.  The 
second  merchant  took  an  axe  from  under  his  skirts 


Shmat-Razum.  1 99 


and  began  to  hit,  hit  strike,  a  ship  came  out:  hit 
strike  —  another  ship.  He  struck  a  hundred  times  —  a 
hundred  ships.  They  moved  around  the  island  under 
full  canvas,  with  sailors  and  cannon.  The  sailors  run 
and  fire  guns.  The  commanders  come  to  the  mer- 
chant for  orders.  He  amused  himself,  hid  his  axe : 
the  ships  vanished  from  the  eye,  were  as  if  they 
had  never  been.  The  third  merchant  took  a  horn, 
blew  into  it  at  one  end:  that  minute  an  army  ap- 
peared, cavalry  and  infantry,  with  muskets  and  can- 
nons and  flags ;  from  every  regiment  come  reports  to 
the  merchant,  and  he  gives  them  orders.  The  army 
marches,  with  music  sounding  and  banners  waving. 
The  merchant  took  his  horn,  blew  in  at  the  other  end : 
there  is  nothing.  Where  has  all  the  power  gone  to  ? 

"  Your  wonders  are  strange,"  said  the  sharpshooter; 
"  but  these  are  all  playthings  for  kings,  and  I  am  a  sim- 
ple soldier.  If  ye  will  exchange,  however,  I  agree  to 
give  you  my  unseen  servant  for  all  three  of  your 
wonders." 

"  Is  not  that  rather  too  much?  " 

"Well,  ye  know  your  own  business,  I  suppose;  but 
I  will  not  exchange  on  other  conditions." 

The  merchants  thought  to  themselves,  "  What  good 
are  these  ships  and  soldiers  and  garden  to  us?  Let  us 
exchange,  —  at  least  we  shall  have  enough  to  eat  and 
drink  all  our  lives  without  trouble." 

They  gave  the  sharpshooter  their  wonders,  and 
asked:  "  Shmat-Razum,  wilt  thou  come  with  us?" 


20O       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"Why  not?  It's  all  the  same  to  me  where  I 
live." 

The  merchants  returned  to  their  ships  and  said : 
"  Now,  Shmat-Razum,  fly  about ;  give  us  to  eat  and 
drink."  They  invited  all  the  men,  and  had  such  a  feast 
that  every  one  got  drunk  and  slept  a  sound  sleep. 

The  sharpshooter  was  sitting  in  the  golden  summer- 
house  ;  he  fell  to  thinking,  and  said:  "I  am  sorry; 
where  art  thou  now,  trusty  servant?" 

"  Here,  my  master." 

Fedot  rejoiced.  "  Is  n't  it  time  for  us  to  go  home?  " 
The  moment  he  spoke  he  was  borne  through  the  air 
as  if  by  a  whirlwind. 

The  merchants  woke  up,  and  wishing  to  drink  off 
the  effects  of  their  carousal,  cried  out :  "  Give  us  to 
drink,  Shmat-Razum."  No  one  answered,  nothing  was 
brought;  no  matter  how  much  they  screamed  and 
commanded,  no  result.  "Well,  gentlemen,  this  scoun- 
drel has  swindled  us.  Now  Satan  himself  could  not 
find  him ;  the  island  has  vanished,  the  pleasure-house 
is  gone."  The  merchants  grieved  and  regretted; 
then  hoisted  their  sails  and  went  to  where  they  had 
business. 

The  sharpshooter  soon  arrived  at  his  own  kingdom, 
came  down  by  the  seashore.  "  Shmat-Razum,  canst 
thou  build  me  a  palace  here?  " 

"  Why  not?  —  it  will  be  ready  directly." 

The  palace  appeared  so  splendid  that  it  could  not 
be  described,  —  twice  as  good  as  the  king's.  Now  the 


Shmat-Razum.  201 


box  was  opened,  and   all  around  the  palace  was   a 
glorious  garden,  with  rare  trees  and  flowers. 

The  sharpshooter  sat  by  the  window  admiring  the 
garden  when  all  at  once  a  blue  dove  flew  in  through 
the  open  window,  struck  the  floor,  and  became  his 
young  wife.  They  embraced  and  kissed  each  other; 
then  made  inquiries  and  gave  answer.  Said  his 
wife  to  Fedot :  "  Since  the  time  thou  didst  leave  me  I 
have  lived  a  lone  dove  in  the  forests  and  thickets." 

Next  morning  the  king  went  out  on  the  balcony, 
and  saw  by  the  shore  of  the  blue  sea  a  new  palace, 
and  a  green  garden  around  it.  "What  insolent  fellow 
has  built  on  my  land  without  leave?"  Couriers  has- 
tened, discovered,  reported,  that  the  palace  was  built 
by  Fedot,  who  was  living  there  then,  and  with  him 
his  wife. 

The  king's  anger  increased.  He  gave  orders  to 
collect  troops  and  go  to  the  sea-shore,  destroy  the 
garden,  break  the  palace  into  small  pieces,  and  give 
the  sharpshooter  and  his  wife  to  a  cruel  death. 

Fedot  saw  the  strong  army  approaching.  He  took 
his  axe  quickly,  and  struck ;  a  ship  came  forth ;  he 
struck  a  hundred  times,  —  a  hundred  ships  were 
ready;  he  blew  his  horn  once,  infantry  was  march- 
ing; he  blew  it  a  second  time,  cavalry  was  galloping. 
The  commanders  rushed  to  him  from  the  ships,  from 
the  army,  for  orders.  He  ordered  them  to  give  bat- 
tle. The  music  sounded  at  once,  the  drums  rattled, 
the  regiments  advanced.  The  hundred  ships  open  a 


2O2       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

cannonade  on  the  king's  capital.  The  army  moves 
on  at  the  sound  of  music  and  beat  of  drum.  The 
infantry  rout  the  king's  soldiers,  the  cavalry  take 
them  prisoners.  The  king  sees  that  his  army  is 
fleeing,  hurries  forward  himself  to  stop  it.  But 
what  could  he  do?  Half  an  hour  had  not  passed 
before  he  was  killed. 

When  the  battle  was  over,  the  people  came  to- 
gether and  begged  the  sharpshooter  to  take  the 
government  of  the  kingdom  into  his  hands.  He 
agreed,  became  king,  and  his  wife  queen. 


MARYA  MOREVNA. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom  in  a  certain  land  lived  Ivan 
Tsarevich.  He  had  three  sisters.  The  first 
was  Marya  Tsarevna;  the  second,  Olga  Tsarevna; 
the  third,  Anna  Tsarevna.  Their  father  and  mother 
were  dead.  When  dying  they  said  to  their  son : 
"Whoever  woos  first  a  sister  of  thine,  give  her  to 
him ;  keep  not  thy  sisters  with  thee  long." 

The  Tsarevich  buried  his  parents,  and  from  sorrow 
went  with  his  sisters  to  walk  in  the  green  garden. 
Suddenly  a  black  cloud  rose  in  the  sky;  a  fearful 
storm  was  coming.  "  Let  us  go  home,  sisters,"  said 
Ivan  Tsarevich.  They  had  barely  entered  the  castle 
when  thunder  roared,  the  ceiling  opened,  and  a 
bright  falcon  flew  into  the  chamber.  The  falcon 
struck  the  floor,  became  a  gallant  youth,  and  said: 
"  Hail,  Ivan  Tsarevich  !  Ere  now  I  came  as  a  guest, 
but  now  I  'm  a  suitor.  I  wish  to  sue  for  thy  sister, 
Marya  Tsarevna." 

"If  thou  art  pleasing  to  my  sister,  I  shall  not 
restrain  her.  Let  her  go,  with  God." 

Marya  Tsarevna  agreed,  the  Falcon  married  her, 
and  bore  her  away  to  his  own  kingdom. 

Days  followed  days,  hours  chased  hours,  a  whole 
year  was  as  if  it  had  not  been.  Ivan  Tsarevich  went 


204       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

with  his  two  sisters  to  walk  in  the  green  garden. 
Again  a  cloud  rose  with  whirlwind,  with  lightning. 
"  Let  us  go  home,  my  sisters,"  said  the  Tsarevich. 
They  had  barely  entered  the  castle  when  a  thunder- 
clap came,  the  roof  fell  apart,  the  ceiling  opened,  and 
in  flew  an  eagle.  The  eagle  struck  the  floor  and  be- 
came a  gallant  youth.  "  Hail,  Ivan  Tsarevich  !  Ere 
now  I  came  as  a  guest,  but  now  I  'm  a  suitor."  And 
he  asked  for  Olga  Tsarevna  in  marriage. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  answered :  "  If  thou  art  pleasing  to 
Olga  Tsarevna,  then  let  her  marry  thee ;  I  take  not 
her  will  from  her."  Olga  Tsarevna  consented,  and 
accepted  the  Eagle  in  marriage.  The  Eagle  caught 
her  up  and  bore  her  to  his  own  kingdom. 

Another  year  passed.  Ivan  Tsarevich  said  to  his 
youngest  sister:  "Let  us  go  to  walk  in  the  green 
garden."  They  walked  a  little ;  again  a  cloud  rose 
with  whirlwind,  with  lightning.  "  Come  home, 
my  sister,  come !  "  They  returned  to  the  castle, 
but  had  not  sat  down  when  a  thunderclap  came, 
the  ceiling  opened,  and  in  flew  a  raven.  The 
raven  struck  the  floor  and  became  a  gallant  youth. 
The  others  were  beautiful  in  person,  but  he  was 
still  better. 

"  Well,  Ivan  Tsarevich !  Ere  now  I  came  as  a 
guest,  but  now  I  'm  a  wooer.  Give  me  Anna 
Tsarevna." 

"  I  take  not  her  will  from  my  sister.  If  thou  hast 
pleased  her,  take  her  in  marriage." 


Marya  Morevna.  205 

Anna  Tsarevna  married  the  Raven,  and  he  bore  her 
away  to  his  own  kingdom. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  remained  alone.  He  lived  a  whole 
year  without  sisters,  grew  weaned.  "  I  will  go," 
said  he,  "to  seek  out  my  sisters." 

He  made  ready  for  the  road,  travelled  and  trav- 
elled, saw  an  army,  a  power  lying  slain  on  the  field. 
Said  Ivan  Tsarevich :  "If  there  is  a  living  man  here, 
let  him  speak.  Who  killed  this  great  army?" 

A  living  man  answered :  "  Marya  Morevna,  the 
fair  Korolyevna,  killed  all  this  great  army." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  went  farther;  he  came  to  white 
tents.  Marya  Morevna,  the  fair  Korolyevna,  came 
forth  to  meet  him.  "  Hail,  Tsarevich  !  Where  does 
God  bear  thee  ?  Of  thy  own  will,  or  against  thy  will  ?  " 

Ivan  Tsarevich  gave  answer :  "  Good  heroes  travel 
not  against  their  will." 

"  Well,  if  thy  work  be  not  hasty  be  a  guest  in  my 
tents." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  was  glad ;  he  spent  two  nights  in 
the  tents,  pleased  Marya  Morevna,  and  married  her. 
Marya  Morevna,  the  fair  Korolyevna,  took  him  with 
her  to  her  own  kingdom.  They  lived  together  a 
time,  and  then  the  Korolyevna  had  a  thought  to 
make  war;  she  left  to  her  husband  her  household, 
and  said :  "  Go  everywhere,  see  after  all  things,  but 
look  not  in  this  closet." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  could  not  endure  this,  but  when 
Marya  Morevna  had  gone  he  rushed  to  the  closet, 


206       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

opened  the  door,  looked,  and  there  Koshchei  With- 
out-Death  was  hanging  inside,  fastened  with  twelve 
chains.  Koshchei  implored  the  Tsarevich :  "  Take 
pity  on  me,  give  me  to  drink.  Twelve  years  do  I 
sit  here  in  torment ;  I  have  not  eaten  nor  drunk ;  my 
throat  is  parched." 

The  Tsarevich  gave  him  a  whole  three-gallon  tub 
of  water.  He  drank  it,  and  begged,  "  With  one  tub 
my  thirst  cannot  be  quenched."  The  Tsarevich  gave 
him  another  tub.  Koshche"i  drank  that,  and  begged 
for  a  third ;  and  when  he  had  drunk  the  third  tub  he 
regained  his  former  strength,  shook  his  chains,  and 
in  one  moment  broke  all  twelve. 

"  God  save  thee,  Ivan  Tsarevich !  "  said  Koshchei 
Without-Death ;  "  now  thou  wilt  never  see  Marya 
Morevna  any  more  than  thy  own  ears ;  "  and  he  went 
out  a  terrific  whirlwind,  flew  through  the  window, 
overtook  on  the  road  Marya  Morevna,  the  fair  Ko- 
rolyevna,  seized  her,  and  bore  her  away. 

But  Ivan  Tsarevich  cried  bitterly,  bitterly,  made 
ready,  and  went  on  his  road,  on  his  way.  "  Whatever 
may  happen,  I  will  find  Marya  Morevna."  He  trav- 
elled one  day,  he  travelled  a  second ;  at  the  dawn  of 
the  third  day  he  saw  a  wonderful  palace,  near  the 
palace  an  oak,  on  the  oak  a  bright  falcon.  The  fal- 
con flew  down  from  the  tree,  struck  the  earth,  turned 
into  a  gallant  youth,  and  shouted :  "  Ah !  my  dear 
brother-in-law,  how  does  God  favor  thee?" 

Marya  Tsarevna  ran  out,  met  Ivan  Tsarevich  joy- 


Mary  a  Morevna.  207 

ously,  asked  about  his  health,  his  life,  and  told  about 
her  own  life  and  household. 

The  Tsarevich  stayed  three  days  with  them,  and 
said :  "  I  cannot  stay  longer,  I  am  in  search  of  my 
wife,  Marya  Morevna,  the  fair  Korolyevna." 

"It  is  hard  to  find  her,"  said  the  Falcon.  "In 
any  case  leave  thy  silver  spoon  here;  we  will  look 
at  it  and  think  of  thee." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  left  his  silver  spoon  and  went  his 
way.  He  travelled  a  day,  he  travelled  a  second ;  at 
the  dawn  of  the  third  he  saw  a  castle  better  than  the 
first,  at  the  side  of  the  castle  an  oak,  on  the  oak  sits 
an  eagle.  The  eagle  flew  from  the  tree,  struck  the 
ground,  turned  into  a  gallant  youth,  and  shouted: 
"Rise  up,  Olga  Tsarevna ;  our  dear  brother  is  com- 
ing." Olga  Tsarevna  ran  out  that  moment  to  meet 
him ;  she  began  to  kiss,  to  embrace  her  brother,  to 
ask  about  his  health,  and  to  tell  of  her  own  life  and 
household. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  remained  three  days  with  them, 
and  then  said:  "I  have  no  time  to  visit  longer;  I 
am  going  to  seek  my  wife,  Marya  Morevna,  the 
fair  Korolyevna." 

Said  the  Eagle :  "  It  is  hard  for  thee  to  find  her. 
Leave  with  us  thy  silver  fork ;  we  will  look  at  it  and 
remember  thee." 

He  left  the  fork  and  went  his  way.  He  travelled  a 
day,  he  travelled  a  second ;  and  on  the  dawn  of  the 
third  day  he  saw  a  castle  better  than  the  other  two. 


4  \ 

208       Russian  Mytfis  and  Folk-Tales. 

At  the  side  of  the  castle  was  an  oak,  and  on  the  oak 
a  raven  was  perched.  The  raven  flew  down,  struck 
the  earth,  turned  into  a  gallant  youth,  and  cried: 
"  Anna  Tsarevna,  hurry  out;  our  brother  is  coming." 

Anna  Tsarevna  ran  out,  met  him  joyously,  began 
to  kiss  and  embrace  her  brother,  to  ask  about  his 
health,  and  to  tell  about  her  own  life  and  household. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  stayed  with  them  three  short  days, 
and  said :  "  Farewell,  I  am  going  to  look  for  my 
wife,  Marya  Morevna,  the  fair  Korolyevna." 

The  Raven  said :  "  It  is  hard  for  thee  to  find  her; 
but  leave  thy  gold  ring  with  us,  we  will  look  at  it 
and  remember  thee.  If  the  ring  is  bright,  it  means 
that  thou  art  alive  and  well ;  if  dim,  then  we  shall 
know  that  evil  has  come  on  thee." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  left  his  gold  ring  and  went  his  way. 
He  travelled  a  day,  he  travelled  a  second ;  and  on  the 
third  he  came  to  Marya  Morevna.  She  saw  her  dear 
one,  rushed  on  his  neck,  covered  herself  with  tears, 
and  said :  "  Ivan  Tsarevich,  why  didst  thou  not  obey 
me;  why  didst  thou  look  in  the  closet  and  let  out 
Koshchei  Without-Death  ?  " 

"  Forgive  me,  Marya  Morevna;  remember  not  the 
past.  Better  go  with  me  while  Koshchei  is  not  here ; 
mayhap  he  will  not  overtake  us." 

They  made  ready  and  went.  Koshchei  was  out 
hunting;  toward  evening  he  was  coming  home,  his 
good  steed  stumbled  under  him.  "  Why  stumble, 
hungry  crowbait;  or  dost  feel  some  misfortune?  " 


v  m  v  L.  >  <  c 

OF 


Marya  Morevna.  209 

The  horse  answered :  "  Ivan  Tsarevich  came  and 
took  Marya  Morevna  away." 

"  Can  we  overtake  them?  " 

"  Thou  mightest  sow  wheat,  wait  till  it  should 
ripen,  reap  it,  thresh  it,  make  flour,  bake  five  ovens 
of  bread,  eat  that  bread,  go  in  pursuit,  and  overtake 
them." 

Koshchei  galloped  on,  overtook  Ivan  Tsarevich. 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  forgive  thee  the  first  time  for 
thy  kindness,  because  thou  didst  give  me  water  to 
drink ;  and  a  second  time  I  '11  forgive  thee :  but  for 
the  third  have  a  care ;  I  will  hew  thee  to  pieces." 

He  took  Marya  Morevna  and  led  her  away.  Ivan 
Tsarevich  sat  on  a  stone  and  wept;  he  cried  and 
cried,  went  back  for  Marya  Morevna.  Koshchei 
Without-Death  did  not  happen  to  be  at  home. 

"  Let  us  go,  Marya  Morevna." 

"  Ah,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  he  will  overtake  us !  " 

"  Let  him  overtake  us ;  anyhow,  we  shall  pass  a 
couple  of  hours  together."  They  made  ready  and 
started  away. 

Koshchei  Without-Death  was  coming  home ;  his 
good  steed  stumbled  under  him.  "  Why  dost  thou 
stumble,  hungry  crowbait;  or  feelest  thou  evil?  " 

"  Ivan  Tsarevich  came  and  carried  Marya  Morevna 
away." 

"  Can  they  be  overtaken?  " 

"  Barley  might  be  sown,  waited  for  till  ripe,  har- 
vested, threshed,  and  beer  made  of  it;  we  might 


2io       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

drink  the  beer,  sleep  after  drinking,  then  pursue  and 
catch  them." 

Koshch^i  galloped  on,  rode  up,  overtook  Ivan 
Tsarevich.  "  But  I  have  said  that  thou  canst  no  more 
see  Marya  Morevna  than  look  at  thy  own  ears."  He 
took  her  away  and  led  her  home. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  remained  alone ;  he  cried  and  cried, 
and  went  back  for  Marya  Morevna.  That  time 
Koshchei  was  not  at  home. 

"  Let  us  go,  Marya  Morevna." 

"  Ah !  Ivan  Tsarevich,  he  will  come  up  with  us, 
will  hew  thee  to  pieces." 

"  Let  him  hew  me ;  I  cannot  live  without  thee." 
They  made  ready  and  started. 

Koshchei  Without-Death  was  coming  home;  his 
good  steed  stumbled  under  him.  "  Why  dost  thou 
stumble,  hungry  crowbait;  or  feelest  thou  evil?" 

"  Ivan  Tsarevich  came,  and  took  Marya  Morevna 
away." 

Koshchel  galloped  on,  caught  up  with  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich, hewed  him  into  small  pieces,  put  him  in  a  pitched 
barrel,  took  that  barrel,  strengthened  it  with  iron 
hoops,  and  cast  it  into  the  blue  sea.  Marya  Morevna 
he  took  home. 

Now  the  silver  grew  black  at  the  houses  of  Ivan 
Tsarevich's  brothers-in-law.  "  Oh,"  said  they,  "  it  is 
clear  that  some  evil  has  happened  !  " 

The  Eagle  rushed  off  to  the  blue  sea,  caught  the 
barrel,  and  drew  it  to  shore ;  the  Falcon  flew  for  the 


Mary  a  Morevna.  211 

living  water,  and  the  Raven  for  the  dead  water.  All 
flew  together  to  the  same  place,  broke  the  barrel, 
took  out  the  pieces  of  Ivan  Tsarevich,  washed  them, 
put  them  together  in  proper  order.  The  Raven 
sprinkled  them  with  dead  water,  the  body  grew  to- 
gether and  united;  the  Falcon  sprinkled  the  body 
with  living  water.  Ivan  Tsarevich  trembled,  rose  up, 
and  said,  "  Oh,  how  long  I  have  been  sleeping!  " 

"  Thou  wouldst  have  slept  still  longer  without  us," 
answered  the  brothers-in-law.  "  Come  now  to  our 
houses." 

"  No,  brothers,  I  shall  go  to  seek  Marya  Morevna." 
He  came  to  her  and  said,  "  Discover  from  Koshchei 
Without-Death  where  he  found  such  a  steed." 

Behold,  Marya  Morevna  seized  a  favorable  mo- 
ment, inquired  of  Koshche"i.  Koshchei  said :  "  Be- 
yond the  thrice-ninth  land,  in  the  thirtieth  kingdom, 
beyond  the  fiery  river,  lives  Baba-Yaga ;  and  she  has 
a  mare  on  which  she  flies  round  the  world  each 
day;  she  has  many  other  glorious  mares.  I  was 
her  herdsman  for  three  days.  I  let  not  one  mare 
stray  from  her,  and  for  that  service  Baba-Yaga  gave 
me  a  colt." 

"  But  how  didst  thou  cross  the  river  of  fire?  " 

"  I  have  a  kerchief  of  such  sort  that  when  I  wave 
it  on  the  right  side  three  times,  a  bridge  is  made,  lofty 
and  high ;  the  fire  cannot  reach  it." 

Marya  Morevna  listened,  told  all  to  Ivan  Tsare- 
vich, carried  away  the  kerchief,  and  gave  it  to  him. 


212       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  crossed  the  fiery  river,  and  went  to 
Baga-Yaga.  Long  did  he  go  without  eating  and 
drinking;  a  bird  from  beyond  the  sea,  with  her  little 
children,  happened  in  his  way.  "  I  '11  eat  one  little 
chick,"  said  Ivan  Tsarevich. 

"  Eat  it  not,  Ivan  Tsarevich,"  begged  the  bird  from 
beyond  the  sea ;  "  in  time  I  will  serve  thee." 

He  went  farther,  saw  in  the  forest  a  swarm  of  bees. 
"  I  '11  take  some  honey,"  said  he. 

The  queen-bee  called  out,  "  Touch  not  my  honey, 
Ivan  Tsarevich ;  in  time  I  will  serve  thee." 

He  left  the  honey  and  went  on.  Then  a  lioness 
and  her  whelp  met  him.  "  At  least  I  '11  eat  this  little 
lion ;  I  feel  Such  hunger  that  I  am  sick." 

"Touch  him  not,  Ivan  Tsarevich;  in  time  I  will 
serve  thee." 

"  Well,  let  it  be  as  thou  sayest." 

He  went  on  hungry;  he  travelled  and  travelled. 
There  is  the  house  of  Baba-Yaga.  Around  the  house 
stand  twelve  stakes ;  on  eleven  are  heads  of  men,  — 
only  one  stake  is  unoccupied. 

"  Hail  to  thee,  grandmother !  " 

"  Hail  to  thee,  Ivan  Tsarevich  !  Hast  come  of  thy 
own  good  will,  or  from  need  ?  " 

"  I  have  come  to  earn  of  thee  an  heroic  steed." 

"  Very  well,  Tsarevich ;  no  need  to  serve  a  year 
with  me,  but  three  days  in  all.  If  thou  wilt  herd  my 
mares,  I  '11  give  thee  an  heroic  steed ;  but  if  not,  be 
not  angry,  thy  head  will  be  on  the  last  stake." 


Marya  Morevna.  213 

Ivan  Tsarevich  consented.  Baba-Yaga  gave  him 
food  with  drink,  and  ordered  him  to  begin  the  work. 
As  soon  as  he  had  driven  the  mares  afield,  they 
raised  their  tails  and  all  ran  apart  through  the  mea- 
dows. The  Tsarevich  could  not  cast  his  eyes  round 
before  they  had  vanished.  Then  he  began  to  weep 
and  grow  sad ;  he  sat  on  a  stone  and  fell  asleep.  The 
sun  was  going  down  when  the  bird  from  beyond  the 
sea  flew  up  and  roused  him. 

"  Rise,  Ivan  Tsarevich;  the  mares  are  now  home." 

The  Tsarevich  stood  up,  came  home,  but  Baba- 
Yaga  was  screaming  and  crying  at  her  mares.  "  Why 
did  ye  come  home?  " 

"  How  could  we  help  it,  when  birds  from  the  whole 
world  flew  together  and  almost  picked  our  eyes 
out?" 

"Well,  to-morrow  don't  run  in  the  meadows,  but 
scatter  through  the  sleeping  forest." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  slept  the  night;  in  the  morning 
Baba-Yaga  said  :  "  See  to  it,  Tsarevich.  If  thou  dost 
not  herd  the  mares,  if  thou  losest  even  one  of  them, 
thy  stormy  head  will  be  on  the  stake." 

He  drove  the  mares  afield.  That  moment  they 
raised  their  tails  and  ran  through  the  sleeping  forest. 
Again  the  Tsarevich  sat  down  on  a  stone,  cried  and 
cried,  then  fell  asleep.  The  sun  had  gone  behind 
the  forest  when  the  lioness  ran  up.  "  Rise,  Ivan 
Tsarevich ;  the  mares  are  driven  in." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  stood  up  and  went  home.     Baba- 


214       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Yaga  was  screaming  and  crying  more  than  before 
at  her  mares.  "  Why  did  ye  come  home  ?  " 

"  How  could  we  help  coming?  Savage  beasts  ran 
at  us  from  the  whole  world,  came  near  tearing  us 
to  pieces." 

"  Well,  run  to-morrow  into  the  blue  sea." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  slept  that  night;  next  morning 
Baba-Yaga  sent  him  to  herd  the  mares.  "  If  thou 
dost  not  guard  them,  thy  stormy  head  will  be  on  the 
stake." 

He  drove  the  mares  to  the  field ;  that  moment  they 
raised  their  tails  and  vanished  from  the  eye,  ran  into 
the  blue  sea,  and  stood  to  their  necks  in  the  water. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  sat  on  a  stone,  cried,  and  fell  asleep. 
The  sun  had  gone  beyond  the  forest  when  a  bee  flew 
up  and  said :  "  Ivan  Tsarevich,  the  mares  are  driven 
in.  But  when  thou  art  home,  do  not  show  thyself 
before  the  eyes  of  Baba-Yaga ;  go  to  the  stable  and 
hide  behind  the  manger.  There  is  a  mangy  little 
colt  lying  on  the  dung-heap ;  steal  him,  and  at  dark 
midnight  leave  the  place." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  rose  up,  made  his  way  to  the  stable, 
and  lay  down  behind  the  manger.  Baba-Yaga 
screamed  and  cried  at  her  mares :  "  Why  did  ye 
come  home?" 

"  How  could  we  help  coming  home  when  bees, 
seen  and  unseen,  flew  from  the  whole  world  and 
began  to  sting  us  on  every  side  till  the  blood  came !  " 

Baba-Yaga  went  to  sleep,  and  just  at  midnight  Ivan 


Mary  a  Morevna.  215 

Tsarevich  stole  from  her  the  mangy  colt,  saddled 
him,  sat  on  his  back,  and  galloped  to  the  fiery  river ; 
when  he  came  to  the  river  he  shook  the  kerchief  three 
times  on  the  right  side,  and  suddenly,  from  wherever 
it  came,  a  high,  splendid  bridge  was  hanging  over  the 
river.  The  Tsarevich  crossed  on  the  bridge,  waved 
the  kerchief  on  the  left  side  only  twice,  and  there 
remained  above  the  river  a  bridge  very,  very  slender. 

In  the  morning  Baba-Yaga  woke  up;  the  mangy 
colt  is  not  to  be  seen  with  sight.  Baba-Yaga,  on  an 
iron  mortar,  rushed  off  in  pursuit  with  all  her  breath, 
urging  forward  with  a  pestle,  and  removing  her  trail 
with  a  broom.  She  galloped  to  the  fiery  river,  looked 
and  thought :  "  The  bridge  is  good."  She  rode  out 
on  it,  and  the  moment  she  reached  the  middle  the 
bridge  broke.  Baba-Yaga  went  headlong  into  the 
river;  there  a  savage  death  came  to  her. 

Ivan  Tsarevich  fed  his  colt  in  the  green  meadows, 
and  it  became  a  marvellous  steed.  The  Tsarevich 
came  to  Marya  Morevna;  she  ran  out  to  him,  threw 
herself  on  his  neck. 

"  How  has  God  brought  thee  to  life?  " 

"  In  this  way  and  that  way,"  said  he ;  "  come  with 
me." 

"  I  am  afraid,  Ivan  Tsarevich.  If  Koshchei  over- 
takes us  again,  thou  wilt  be  cut  to  pieces." 

"  No,  he  will  not  overtake  us.  I  have  a  glorious, 
heroic  steed  now;  he  goes  like  a  bird." 

They  sat  on  the  horse  and  rode  off.       Koshchei 


216       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Without-Death  was  coming  home  ;  under  him 
stumbled  his  steed. 

"Why  stumble,  hungry  crow-bait ;  or  feelest  thou 
evil?" 

"  Ivan  Tsarevich  came,  took  away  Marya  Morevna." 

"  Can  we  overtake  him?  " 

"  God  knows  !  Now  Ivan  Tsarevich  has  an  heroic 
steed  better  than  I." 

"  I  cannot  stand  this,"  said  Koshchei  the  Deathless, 
*  I  '11  give  chase." 

Whether  it  was  long  or  short,  he  caught  up  with 
Ivan  Tsarevich,  sprang  to  the  ground,  and  wanted  to 
cut  him  with  his  sharp  sword.  That  moment  Ivan's 
horse  struck,  with  all  the  sweep  of  his  hoof,  Koshchei 
Without-Death,  and  smashed  his  skull.  The  Tsarevich 
finished  him  with  his  club.  Then  he  raised  a  pile  of 
wood,  made  a  fire,  burned  Koshchei  Without-Death 
on  the  fire,  and  scattered  the  ashes  to  the  wind. 

Marya  Morevna  mounted  Koshchei's  horse,  and 
Ivan  Tsarevich  his  own.  They  went  to  visit  the  Raven, 
then  the  Eagle,  and  last  the  Falcon ;  wherever  they 
•came  they  were  met  with  joy. 

"  Oh,  Ivan  Tsarevich,  we  did  not  think  to  see  thee  ! 
It  was  not  for  nothing  thou  didst  struggle ;  another 
such  beauty  as  Marya  Morevna  could  not  be  found 
if  sought  for  in  the  whole  world." 

They  visited  and  feasted,  and  set  out  for  their  own 
kingdom;  arrived  there,  gained  wealth,  and  drank 
mead. 


Mary  a  Morevna.  217 


VARIANT  OF  THE   RESCUE  OF  IVAN  TSAREVICH 
AND  THE   WINNING  OF  THE   COLT. 

EAGLE  son  of  Eagle  flew  to  the  sea  and  brought 
mighty  winds,  the  sea  rose,  and  threw  the  barrel 
on  shore.  Falcon  son  of  Falcon  grasped  the  bar- 
rel in  his  talons,  bore  it  high,  high  in  the  air,  and 
dropped  it  thence  to  the  ground.  The  barrel  fell 
and  was  broken  in  pieces ;  but  Raven  son  of  Raven 
carried  healing  water  and  living  water  and  sprinkled 
Ivan  Tsarevich  with  them.  Then  all  three  of  them 
caught  him  up  and  bore  him  to  the  thrice-ninth  land, 
to  the  thirtieth  kingdom.  They  brought  him  to  the 
thirtieth  kingdom  and  said :  "  Go  now  to  the  blue 
sea,  where  lives  a  marvellous  mare ;  in  front  of  her 
twelve  men  are  mowing  hay,  and  twelve  rakers  are 
raking  what  they  mow:  she  follows  them  and  eats 
the  hay.  When  the  mare  drinks  water,  the  blue  sea 
rises  in  waves  and  leaves  fall  from  the  trees ;  when 
she  scratches  herself  on  hundred-year  oaks,  they  fall 
to  the  ground  like  bundles  of  oats.  Every  month 
she  has  one  colt ;  twelve  wolves  follow  her  and  devour 
these  colts.  Bide  thy  time  ;  and  the  moment  a  colt  is 
born  with  a  star  on  its  forehead,  seize  it  quickly,  —  that 
colt  will  be  an  heroic  steed  for  thee.  On  that  colt 
Koshche"i  Without-Death  will  not  overtake  thee." 
Ivan  Tsarevich  did  as  his  brothers-in-law  taught  him 


YELENA   THE  WISE. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom,  in  a  certain  land,  the  Tsar 
had  a  golden  company ;  in  this  company  served 
k  soldier,  Ivan  by  name,  a  hero  in  appearance.  The 
Tsar  took  him  into  favor  and  began  to  reward  him 
with  rank ;  in  a  short  time  he  made  him  colonel.  The 
superior  officers  envied  him.  "  Why  have  we  served 
for  our  rank  as  we  have  thirty  years,  and  he  has  got 

F every  rank  all  at  once?     We  must  get  rid  of  him,  or 

I  he  will  go  ahead  of  us." 

The  generals  and  counselling  boyars  arranged  a  trip 
on  the  sea,  prepared  the  ship,  invited  Ivan  the 
colonel  to  go  with  them.  They  sailed  out  into  the 
open  sea,  and  went  around  till  late  in  the  evening. 
Ivan  grew  tired,  lay  on  a  bed,  and  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep.  That  was  all  the  boyars  and  generals  were 
waiting  for.  They  seized  him,  put  him  in  a 
tK*at,  pushed  him  out  to  sea,  and  returned  home 
themselves. 

«^>oon  dark  clouds  came  up  and  a  storm  began  to 
roaV;  the  waves  rose  and  carried  the  boat  it  is  un- 
known whither ;  they  carried  it  far,  far  away,  and  cast 
it  out  on  an  island.  Here  Ivan  woke  up,  looked, 
saw  a  desert  land,  no  trace  of  the  ship,  and  the  sea 
ran  terribly  high. 


Yelena  the  Wise.  219 

"  It  is  clear,"  thought  he,  "that  the  ship  has  been 
wrecked  by  the  storm,  and  all  my  comrades  are 
drowned.  Glory  be  to  God  that  I  am  safe  myself!  " 

He  went  to  look  at  the  island,  walked  and  walked. 
Nowhere  did  he  see  a  springing  beast,  a  flying  bird, 
or  a  dwelling  of  man.  Whether  it  was  long  or  short, 
Ivan  wandered  to  an  imderground  )passage ;  through 
this  he  went  down  a  deep  precipice,  and  came  to  the 
underground  kingdom,  where  the  six-headed  serpent 
lived  and  reigned.  He  saw  a  white-walled  castle, 
entered.  The  first  chamber  was  empty,  in  the 
second  there  was  no  one,  in  the  third  the  six-headed 
serpent  was  sleeping  a  hero's  sleep.  At  his  side 
stood  a  table,  on  the  table  an  enormous  book  was 
lying. 

Ivan  opened  the  book  and  read  to  the  page  where 
it  was  written  that  a  Tsar  had  never  a  son,  but  always 
a  Tsaritsa  had  sons.  He  took  and  scratched  out 
these  words  with  a  knife,  and  in  place  of  them  wrote 
that  a  Tsaritsa  had  never  a  son,  but  always  a  Tsar 
had  sons. 

In  an  hour's  time  the  serpent  turned  to  his  other 
side,  woke  up,  opened  his  eyes,  saw  Ivan,  and  asked : 
"  From  what  place  hast  thou  come?     I  live  so  many  j 
years  in  the  world  and  I  have  not  seen  one  man  in  \ 
my  kingdom." 

"  How  from  what  place  ?  But  thou  knowest  I  am 
thy  son." 

"How  can  that  be?"  asked  the  serpent.     "I  will 


22O       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

look  in  the  book  and  see  if  a  Tsar  can  have  a 
son." 

He  opened  the  book,  read  in  it  what  Ivan  had 
written,  and  was  convinced.  "  Thou  art  right,  my 
son." 

He  took  Ivan  by  the  hand,  led  him  through  all 
his  treasure-chambers,  showed  him  his  countless 
wealth,  and  they  began  to  live  and  live  on  together. 

Some  time  passed,  and  the  six-headed  serpent 
said :  "  My  dear  son,  here  are  the  keys  of  all  the 
chambers;  go  wherever  thy  desire  may  lead  thee, 
but  do  not  dare  to  look  into  that  chamber  which  is 
fastened  with  two  locks,  one  of  gold,  the  other  of  silver. 
I  will  fly  around  the  world,  will  look  at  people,  and 
amuse  myself." 

He  gave  the  keys,  and  flew  away  out  of  the  under- 
ground kingdom  to  wander  through  the  white  world. 
Ivan  Tsarevich  remained  all  alone.  He  lived  a  month, 
a  second  and  a  third  month,  and  the  year  was  coming 
to  an  end,  when  it  became  dreary  for  him,  and  he 
thought  to  examine  the  chambers;  he  walked  and 
walked  till  he  came  straight  in  front  of  the  forbidden 
chamber.  The  good  youth  could  not  restrain  him- 
self; he  took  out  the  keys,  opened  both  locks,  the 
gold  and  the  silver,  opened  the  oaken  door. 

In  that  chamber  were  sitting  two  maidens  riveted 
in  chains:  one  was  Tsarevna  Yelena  the  Wise,  and 
the  other  her  maid.  The  Tsarevna  had  golden  wings, 
and  her  maid  silver  wings.  Said  Yelena  the  Wise : 


Yelena  the  Wise.  221 

"  Hail,  good  hero  !  Do  us  a  service  not  great :  give 
us  each  of  a  glass  of  spring  water  to  drink." 

Ivan,  looking  at  her  unspeakable  beauty,  forgot  all 
about  the  serpent,  pited  the  poor  prisoners,  poured 
out  two  glasses  of  spring  water,  and  gave  them  to  the 
beautiful  women.  They  drank,  shook  themselves; 
the  iron  rings  were  broken,  and  the  heavy  chains  fell. 
The  beautiful  women  clapped  their  wings  and  flew 
through  the  open  window ;  then  only  did  Ivan  come 
to  his  mind.  He  shut  the  empty  chamber,  came 
out  on  the  porch,  sat  on  the  step,  hung  his  stormy 
head  below  his  mighty  shoulders,  and  grew  power- 
fully, powerfully  sad.  How  was  he  to  give  answer? 
Suddenly  the  wind  began  to  whistle,  a  mighty  storm 
rose  up,  the  six-headed  serpent  flew  home. 

"  Hail,  my  dear  son !  " 

Ivan  answered  not  a  word. 

"  Why  art  thou  silent ;  or  has  something  happened  ?  " 

"Evil,  father,  —  I  did  not  obey  thy  command.  I 
looked  into  that  chamber  where  two  maidens  were 
sitting  riveted  in  chains,  I  gave  them  spring  water  to 
drink,  they  drank,  shook  themselves,  clapped  their 
wings,  and  flew  out  through  the  open  window." 

The  serpent  was  terribly  enraged ;  he  began  to 
abuse  and  curse  in  every  fashion.  Then  he  took  an 
iron  rod,  heated  it  red  hot,  and  gave  Ivan  three  blows 
on  the  back.  "  It  is  thy  luck,"  said  he,  "  that  thou 
art  my  son ;  if  thou  wert  not,  I  should  eat  thee  alive." 

As  soon  as  Ivan's  back  had  healed  he  began  to 


222       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

beg  of  the  serpent :  "  Father,  let  me  go  out  into  the 
world  to  look  for  Yelena  the  Wise." 

"  What  couldst  thou  do  ?  I  was  thirty-three  years 
getting  her,  and  barely,  barely  had  I  the  skill  to  catch 
her." 

"  Let  me  go,  father ;  let  me  try  my  fortune." 

"  Well,  after  me  if  thou  pleasest.  Here  is  the  car- 
pet that  flies  of  itself:  wherever  thou  wishest,  there 
will  it  bear  thee;  only  I  am  sorry  for  thee,  since 
Yelena  the  Wise  is  terribly  cunning.  If  thou  catch 
her  she  will  still  overreach  and  deceive  thee." 

Ivan  sat  on  the  carpet  that  flies  of  itself,  flew  out 
of  the  underground  kingdom,  and  hadn't  time  to 
wink  before  he  found  himself  in  a  beautiful  garden. 
He  went  to  a  pond,  sat  under  a  laburnum-bush,  and 
began  to  look  and  admire  the  gold  and  silver  fish 
swimming  in  the  clear  water.  Before  five  minutes 
had  passed,  Yelena  the  Wise  had  flown  to  the  pond 
with  her  maid.  They  took  off  their  wings  at  once, 
put  them  near  the  bush,  undressed,  and  ran  into  the 
water  to  bathe. 

Ivan  took  the  wings  quietly,  came  from  under  the 
bush,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice :  "  But  now  ye  are 
in  my  hands  !  " 

The  beautiful  women  sprang  out  of  the  pond,  put 
on  their  clothes,  came  to  the  good  youth,  and  begged 
him  to  give  back  their  wings.  "  No,"  said  Ivan,  "  I 
will  not  give  them  for  anything.  Yelena  the  Wise, 
thou  hast  pleased  me  more  than  the  bright  sun ;  now 


Yelena  the   Wise.  22 


I  will  take  thee  to  my  father  and  my  mother,  I  will 
marry  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  my  wife,  and  I  will  be 
thy  husband" 

The  Tsarevna's  maid  said  :  "  Hear  me,  good  youth  : 
't  is  thy  wish  to  marry  Yelena  the  Wise,  but  why 
detain  me.  Better  give  me  my  wings;  I  will  serve 
thee  in  time." 

Ivan  thought  and  thought,  and  gave  her  the  silver 
wings.  She  tied  them  on  quickly,  sprang  up,  and  flew 
far,  far  away.  After  that,  Ivan  made  a  box,  put  the 
golden  wings  into  it,  and  closed  it  firmly  with  a  lock. 
He  sat  on  the  self-flying  carpet,  placed  Yelena  the 
Wise  at  his  side,  and  flew  away  to  his  own  kingdom. 
He  came  to  his  father,  to  his  mother,  brought  them 
his  bride,  and  begged  them  to  love  and  to  favor  her. 
Then  there  was  rejoicing  such  as  no  one  had  seen. 

Next  day  Ivan  gave  his  mother  the  key  of  the 
box.  "  Take  care  of  it  for  a  time,"  said  he,  "  give  it 
to  no  one  ;  and  I  will  go  to  the  Tsar  and  invite  him 
to  the  wedding." 

As  soon  as  he  had  gone,  Yelena  the  Wise  ran  in  : 
"  Mother,  give  me  the  key  of  the  box  ;  I  must  get 
clothes  to  dress  for  the  wedding."  The  mother, 
knowing  nothing,  gave  her  the  key  without  fear. 
Yelena  the  Wise  ran  to  the  box,  raised  the  lid,  took 
her  wings,  put  them  on,  clapped  them  once  and 
again  ;  that  was  all  they  saw  of  her. 

The  bridegroom  came  home.  "  Mother,  where  is 
my  bride.  It  is  time  to  prepare  for  the  crown." 


224        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  son,  she  has  flown  away !  " 

Deeply  did  the  good  youth  sigh ;  he  took  farewell 
of  his  father  and  his  mother,  sat  on  his  self-flying 
carpet,  and  flew  to  the  underground  kingdom,  to  the 
six-headed  serpent,  who  saw  him  and  said :  "  Well, 
daring  head,  did  I  speak  in  vain  when  I  said  that 
thou  couldst  not  get  Yelena  the  Wise ;  and  if  thou 
didst  get  her  she  would  deceive  thee?" 

"  Thou  art  right,  father ;  but  no  matter  what 
comes,  I  will  try  again,  I  will  go  to  get  her." 

"  Ah  !  thou  irrestrainable  fellow,  knowest  thou  she 
has  a  rule  that  whoever  wants  to  marry  her  must 
hide  three  times,  and  if  she  finds  him  she  will  have 
his  head  cut  off?  Many  a  hero  has  gone  to  her,  but 
all  to  the  last  man  have  laid  down  their  stormy 
heads ;  and  the  same  is  preparing  for  thee.  But  here 
is  a  flint  and  steel  for  thee :  when  Yelena  the  Wise 
makes  thee  hide,  strike  the  flint  with  the  steel,  —  strike 
out  a  spark,  and  set  fire  to  the  grass  of  the  steppe. 
At  that  moment  a  blue-winged  eagle  will  appear  and 
raise  thee  above  the  third  range  of  clouds ;  if  that 
does  not  succeed,  strike  fire  again,  and  let  it  into  the 
blue  sea.  A  giant  pike  will  swim  to  land,  will  take 
thee  and  bear  thee  away  to  the  depth  of  the  sea; 
and  if  Yelena  the  Wise  finds  thee,  then  there  is  no 
place  in  which  thou  canst  hide  from  her." 

Ivan  Tsarevich  took  the  flint  and  steel,  thanked 
the  six-headed  serpent,  and  flew  off  on  the  carpet. 
Whether  it  was  long  or  short,  near  or  far,  he  flew 


Yelena  the   Wise.  225 

beyond  the  thrice-ninth  land  to  the  thirtieth  kingdom, 
where  lived  Yelena  the  Wise.  Her  palace  was  flash- 
ing like  fire;  it  was  made  of  pure  silver  and  gold. 
At  her  gate,  on  iron  points,  were  the  heads  of  eleven 
heroes.  Ivan  the  good  youth  became  thoughtful. 
"  Eleven  heads  on  the  points,  mine  will  surely  be  the 
twelfth."  He  came  down  in  the  broad  court,  went  on 
the  lofty  porch,  and  straight  to  the  chamber. 

Yelena  the  Wise  met  him.  "Thou!"  said  she, 
"why  art  thou  here?" 

"  I  want  to  take  thee  in  marriage." 

"  Well,  ail  right,  try.  If  thou  art  able  to  hide  from 
me,  I  will  marry  thee ;  if  not,  thou  wilt  pay  with  thy 
head." 

Ivan  went  out  in  the  open  field,  took  his  flint 
and  steel,  struck  fire,  and  put  it  to  the  steppe  grass. 
From  wherever  he  came,  a  blue-winged  eagle  flew  to 
him  and  said,  with  the  voice  of  a  man,  "  Good  youth, 
sit  on  me  quickly;  hold  firmly,  or  thou  wilt  fall." 

Ivan  sat  on  the  eagle,  grasped  firmly  with  his 
hands.  The  eagle  clapped  his  wings,  and  rose  high 
beyond  the  third  range  of  clouds.  He  is  well  hidden  ; 
it  seems  no  one  can  find  him.  But  Yelena  the  Wise 
had  a  mirror :  all  she  had  to  do  was  to  look  in  it,  and 
the  whole  world  was  open  to  her.  She  knew  in  a 
moment  where  and  what  was  going  on  in  the  white 
world.  She  stepped  up  to  that  mirror,  looked  in  it, 
and  knew  every  secret. 

"  Stop,  cunning  fellow,"  cried  Yelena  the  Wise, 
15 


226       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

with  a  loud  voice ;  "  I  see  thou  hast  flown  above  the 
third  range  of  clouds.  The  blue-winged  eagle  bore 
thee;  it  is  time  to  come  down  to  the  earth." 

Ivan  came  to  the  earth,  slipped  off  the  eagle,  went 
to  the  sea-shore,  struck  fire,  and  put  it  to  the  blue 
sea.  Suddenly,  from  wherever  he  came,  a  giant  pike' 
swam  to  shore.  "  Well,  good  youth,  creep  into  my 
mouth ;  I  '11  hide  thee  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea." 
He  opened  his  jaws,  took  in  the  young  man,  sank 
with  him  in  the  abyss  of  the  sea,  and  covered  him 
with  sand. 

"  Now,"  thought  Ivan,  "  perhaps  it  will  be  all  right." 
But  the  point  was  not  there. 

Yelena  the  Wise  barely  looked  in  the  mirror,  and 
saw  everything  at  once.  "  Stop,  cunning  fellow,  I 
see  thou  hast  gone  into  the  giant  pike,  and  thou  art 
sitting  now  in  the  abyss  of  the  sea  beneath  rolling 
sands ;  it  is  time  to  come  to  shore."  The  pike  swam 
to  shore,  threw  out  the  good  youth,  and  vanished  in 
the  sea. 

Ivan  returned  to  the  broad  court  of  Yelena  the 
Wise,  sat  on  the  porch,  and  grew  powerfully  thought- 
ful and  sad.  At  that  moment  the  maid  of  Yelena  the 
Wise  ran  up  the  stairway.  "  Why  are  thou  sad, 
good  youth?  " 

"  How  can  I  be  glad?  If  I  hide  not  the  third  time, 
I  must  part  with  the  white  world ;  so  here  I  am  sit- 
ting and  waiting  for  death." 

"  Grieve  not;   foretell  no  evil  on  thy  own  stormy 


Yelena  the  Wise. 


227 


head.  Once  I  promised  to  serve  thee;  I  spoke  no 
empty  word.  Come,  I  will  hide  thee." 

She  took  Ivan  by  the  hand,  led  him  in,  and  put 
him  behind  the^jnjrror.  A  little  later  Yelena  the 
Wise  ran  to  the  chamber,  looked  and  looked  in 
the  mirror.  She  could  not  see  her  bridegroom ;  the 
appointed  time  had  passed.  She  grew  angry,  and 
with  vexation  struck  the  glass ;  it  fell  into  fragments, 
and  before  her  stood  Ivan  the  brave  youth. 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  —  she  had  to  yield  this 
time.  At  the  house  of  Yelena  the  Wise  there  was  no 
need  of  waiting  to  make  mead  or  wine;  that  day 
they  had  a  noble  feast  and  a  wedding.  They  were 
crowned,  and  began  to  live,  —  to  live  on  and  win 
wealth. 


THE   SEVEN   SIMEONS,  FULL  BROTHERS. 

THERE  lived  an  old  man  and  his  old  wife ;  they 
lived  many  years,  to  a  great  age.  Then  they 
began  to  pray  to  God  to  give  them  a  child  who  in 
their  old  age  might  help  them  to  work.  They 
prayed  a  year,  they  prayed  a  second,  they  prayed  a 
third  and  fourth,  they  prayed  a  fifth  and  a  sixth,  and 
did  not  receive  a  child ;  but  in  the  seventh  year  the 
Lord  gave  them  seven  sons,  arid  they  called  them  all 
Simeon.  When  the  old.  man  with  the  old  woman 
died,  the  Simeons  were  left  orphans  all  in  their 
tenth  year. 

They  ploughed  their  own  land,  and  were  not  worse 
than  their  neighbors.  It  happened  one  time  to  Tsar 
Ador,  the  ruler  of  all  that  country,  to  pass  their  vil- 
lage, and  he  saw  the  Seven  Simeons  working  in  the 
field.  He  wondered  greatly  that  such  small  boys 
were  ploughing  and  harrowing.  Therefore  he  sent 
his  chief  boyar  to  inquire  whose  children  they  were. 
When  the  boyar  came  to  the  Simeons  he  asked 
why  they,  such  small  children,  were  doing  such 
heavy  work? 

The  eldest  Simeon  answered  that  they  were  or- 
phans, that  there  was  no  one  to  work  for  them,  and 


The  Seven  Simeons,  Full  Brothers.       229 

said  at  the  same  time  that  they  were  all  called 
Simeon.  The  boyar  left  them  and  told  this  to  the 
Tsar,  who  wondered  greatly  that  so  many  small  boys, 
brothers,  should  be  called  by  one  name.  Therefore 
he  sent  the  same  boyar  to  take  them  to  the  palace. 
The  boyar  carried  out  the  command  of  the  Tsar  and 
took  all  the  Simeons  with  him.  When  the  Tsar 
came  to  the  palace  he  assembled  the  boyars  and  men 
of  counsel  and  asked  advice  in  the  following  words : 

"  My  boyars  and  men  of  counsel,  ye  see  these 
seven  orphans  who  have  no  relatives :  I  wish  to  make 
of  them  men  who  may  be  grateful  to  me  hereafter ; 
therefore  I  ask  counsel  of  you.  In  what  science  or 
art  should  I  have  them  instructed?  " 

To  this  all  answered  as  follows :   "  Most  Gracious 

Sovereign,   as  they  are   now   grown   somewhat   and 

have  reason,  dost  thou  not  think  it  well  to  ask  each 

•    one  of  them  separately  with  what  science  or  art  he 

would  like  to  occupy  himself?  " 

The  Tsar  accepted  this  advice  gladly,  and  began 
by  asking  the  eldest  Simeon:  "Listen  to  me,  my 
friend :  with  whatever  science  or  art  thou  wishest  to 
occupy  thyself,  in  that  I  will  have  thee  instructed." 

Simeon  answered :  "  Your  Majesty,  I  have  no  wish 
to  occupy  myself  with  any  science  or  art ;  but  if  you 
would  give  command  to  build  a  forge  in  the  middle 
of  your  court-yard,  I  would  forge  a  pillar  reaching  to 
the  sky." 

The  Tsar  saw  that  there  was  no  reason  to  teach 


230        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

this  Simeon,  for  he  knew  well  enough  the  art  of  a 
blacksmith;  still,  he  did  not  believe  that  the  boy 
could  forge  a  pillar  to  the  very  sky,  therefore  he  gave 
command  to  build  in  quick  time  a  forge  in  the  middle 
of  his  court-yard.  After  the  first  he  called  the  second 
Simeon.  "  And  thou,  my  friend,  whatever  science  or 
art  thou  wishest  to  study,  in  that  will  I  give  thee  to 
be  taught." 

Then  that  Simeon  answered :  "  Your  Majesty,  I  do 
not  wish  to  study  any  science  or  art ;  but  if  my  eldest 
brother  will  forge  a  pillar  to  the  sky,  then  I  will  climb 
that  pillar  to  the  top,  and  will  look  at  all  lands,  and 
tell  you  what  is  going  on  in  each  one  of  them." 

The  Tsar  considered  that  there  was  no  need  to 
teach  this  Simeon  either,  because  he  was  wise  al- 
ready. Then  he  asked  the  third  Simeon:  "Thou, 
my  friend,  what  science  or  art  dost  thou  wish  to 
learn?" 

Simeon  answered :  "  Your  Majesty,  I  do  not  wish 
to  learn  any  science  or  art ;  but  if  my  eldest  brother 
will  make  me  an  axe,  with  the  axe  I  will  strike  once, 
twice;  that  moment  there  will  be  a  ship." 

Then  the  king  answered :  "  I  need  shipwrights, 
and  thou  shouldst  not  be  taught  anything  else." 
Next  he  asked  the  fourth :  "  Thou,  Simeon,  what 
science  or  art  dost  thou  wish  to  know?" 

"  Your  Majesty,"  answered  he,  "  I  do  not  wish  to 
know  any  science ;  but  if  my  third  brother  should 
make  a  ship,  and  if  it  should  happen  to  that  ship  to 


The  Seven  Simeons,  Full  Brothers.       231 

be  at  sea,  and  an  enemy  should  attack  it,  I  would 
seize  it  by  the  prow  and  take  the  ship  to  the  under- 
ground kingdom ;  and  when  the  enemy  had  gone  away 
I  would  bring  it  back  to  the  surface  of  the  sea." 

The  Tsar  was  astonished  at  these  great  wonders  of 
the  fourth  Simeon,  and  he  said :  "  There  is  no  need  to 
teach  thee  either."  Then  he  asked  the  fifth  Simeon : 
"  And  thou,  Simeon,  what  science  or  art  dost  thou 
wish  to  learn  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  learn  any,"  said  he ;  "  but  if  my 
eldest  brother  will  make  me  a  gun,  with  that  gun,  if 
I  see  a  bird,  I  will  hit  it,  even  one  hundred  versts 
distant." 

"Well,  thou  wilt  be  a  splendid  sharpshooter  for 
me,"  said  the  Tsar.  Then  he  asked  the  sixth  Simeon : 
"  Thou,  Simeon,  what  science  dost  thou  wish  to 
begin?" 

"  Your  Majesty,"  said  Simeon,  "  I  have  no  wish  to 
begin  any  science  or  art ;  but  if  my  fifth  brother  will 
shoot  a  bird  on  the  wing,  I  will  not  let  it  reach  the 
earth,  but  will  catch  it  and  bring  it  to  you." 

"  Thou  'rt  very  cunning,"  said  the  Tsar ;  "  thou  wilt 
take  the  place  of  a  retriever  for  me  in  the  field."  Then 
the  Tsar  asked  the  last  Simeon :  "  What  art  or  science 
dost  thou  wish  to  learn?" 

"  Your  Majesty,"  answered  he,  "  I  do  not  wish  to 
learn  any  science  or  art,  because  I  have  a  most  pre- 
cious craft." 

"  But  what  is  thy  craft?    Tell  me,  if  it  please  thee." 


232       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  I  know  how  to  steal  dexterously,"  said  Simeon, 
"  so  that  no  man  can  steal  in  comparison  with  me." 

The  Tsar  became  greatly  enraged,  hearing  of  such 
an  evil  art,  and  said  to  his  boyars  and  men  of  counsel : 
"  Gentlemen,  how  do  ye  advise  me  to  punish  this 
thief  Simeon?  Tell  me  what  death  should  he 
die  ?  " 

"  Your  Majesty,"  said  they  all  to  him,  "  why  put 
him  to  death?  He  is  a  thief  in  name,  but  a  thief  who 
may  be  needed  on  an  occasion." 

"  For  what  reason?  "  asked  the  Tsar. 

"  For  this  reason :  your  Majesty  is  trying  now 
these  ten  years  to  get  Tsarevna  Yelena  the  Beau- 
tiful, and  you  have  not  been  able  to  get  her;  and 
besides,  have  lost  great  forces  and  armies,  and  spent 
much  treasure  and  other  things.  Mayhap  this  Simeon 
the  thief  may  in  some  way  be  able  to  steal  Yelena  the 
Beautiful  for  your  Majesty." 

The  Tsar  said  in  answer :  "  My  friends,  ye  tell  me 
the  truth."  Then. he  turned  to  Simeon  the  thief  and 
asked:  "Well,  Simeon,  canst  thou  go  to  the  thrice- 
ninth  land,  to  the  thirtieth  kingdom,  and  steal  for  me 
Yelena  the  Beautiful?  I  am  strongly  in  love  with 
her,  and  if  thou  canst  steal  her  for  me  I  '11  give  thee 
a  great  reward." 

"  Stealing  is  my  art,  your  Majesty,"  anwered  the 
seventh  Simeon,  "  and  I  will  steal  her  for  you ;  only 
give  the  command." 

"  Not  only  do  I  give  the  command,  but  I  beg  thee 


The  Seven  Simeons,  Full  Brothers.       233 

to  do  it;  and  delay  no  longer  at  my  court,  but  take 
for  thyself  troops  and  money,  whatever  is  needed." 

"  Neither  troops  nor  treasure  do  I  need,"  answered 
he.  "  Let  all  of  us  brothers  go  together,  and  I  will 
get  Tsarevna  Yelena  the  Beautiful." 

The  Tsar  did  not  like  to  part  with  all  the  Simeons ; 
still,  though  he  regretted  it,  he  was  obliged  to  let 
them  all  go  together.  Meanwhile  the  forge  was  built 
in  the  court,  and  the  eldest  Simeon  forged  an  iron 
pillar  to  the  very  sky;  the  second  Simeon  climbed 
on  that  pillar  to  the  top,  and  looked  in  the  direction 
in  which  was  the  kingdom  of  the  father  of  Yelena  the 
Beautiful.  After  he  had  looked  he  cried  from  the 
top  of  the  pillar :  "  Your  Majesty,  I  see  Yelena  the 
Beautiful  sitting  beyond  the  thrice-ninth  land  in  the 
thirtieth  kingdom  under  a  window;  her  marrow  flows 
from  bone  to  bone." 

Now  the  Tsar  was  still  more  enticed  by  her  beauty, 
and  said  to  the  Simeons  in  a  loud  voice :  "  My  friends, 
start  on  your  journey  at  once,  for  I  cannot  live  with- 
out Yelena,  the  beautiful  Tsarevna." 

The  eldest  Simeon  made  an  axe  for  the  third,  and 
for  the  fifth  he  made  a  gun ;  and  after  that  they  took 
bread  for  the  journey,  and  Simeon  the  Thief  took  a 
cat,  and  they  went  their  way.  Simeon  the  Thief  had 
made  the  cat  so  used  to  him  that  she  ran  after  him 
everywhere  like  a  dog ;  and  if  he  stopped  on  the  road, 
or  in  any  other  place,  the  cat  stood  on  her  hind  legs, 
rubbed  against  him,  and  purred.  So  the  brothers  went 


234       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

their  way  for  some  time,  and  at  last  came  to  the  sea, 
which  they  had  to  cross,  and  there  was  nothing  to 
cross  upon.  They  walked  along  the  shore  and  looked 
for  a  tree  of  some  kind  to  make  a  vessel,  and  they 
found  a  very  large  oak.  The  third  Simeon  took  his 
axe  and  cut  the  oak  at  the  very  root,  and  then  with 
one  stroke  and  another  he  made  straightway  a  ship, 
which  was  rigged,  and  in  the  ship  were  various  costly 
goods.  All  the  Simeons  sat  on  that  ship  and  sailed 
on  their  journey. 

In  a  few  months  they  arrived  safely  at  the  place 
where  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  go.  When  they 
entered  the  harbor  they  cast  anchor  at  once.  On  the 
following  day  Simeon  the  Thief  took  his  cat  and 
went  into  the  town,  and  coming  to  the  Tsar's  palace  he 
stood  opposite  the  window  of  Yelena  the  Beautiful. 
At  that  moment  the  cat  stood  on  her  hind  legs  and 
began  to  rub  against  him  and  to  purr.  It  is  necessary 
to  say  that  in  that  kingdom  they  knew  nothing  of  cats, 
and  had  not  heard  what  kind  of  beast  the  cat  is. 

Tsarevna  Yelena  the  Beautiful  was  sitting  at  the 
window;  and  seeing  the  cat,  sent  straightway  her 
nurses  and  maidens  to  ask  Simeon  what  kind  of 
beast  that  was,  would  he  not  sell  it,  and  what  price 
would  he  take.  The  maidens  and  nurses  ran  out  in 
the  street  and  asked  Simeon  what  kind  of  beast  that 
was,  and  would  he  not  sell  it? 

Simeon  answered  :  "  My  ladies,  be  pleased  to  relate 
to  her  Highness,  Yelena  the  Beautiful,  that  this  little 


The  Seven  Simeons ',  Full  Brothers.       235 

beast  is  called  a  cat,  that  I  will  not  sell  it,  but  if  she 
wishes  to  have  it  I  will  give  it  to  her  without  price." 

The  maidens  and  nurses  ran  straight  to  the  palace 
and  told  what  they  had  heard  from  Simeon. 

Tsarevna  Yelena  the  Beautiful  was  rejoiced  beyond 
measure,  ran  out  herself,  and  asked  Simeon  would 
he  not  sell  the  cat. 

Simeon  said :  "  Your  Highness,  I  will  not  sell  the 
cat;  but  if  you  like  her,  then  I  make  you  a  present 
of  her." 

The  Tsarevna  took  the  cat  in  her  arms  and  went 
to  the  palace,  and  Simeon  she  commanded  to  follow. 
When  she  came  to  the  palace  the  Tsarevna  went  to 
her  father,  and  showed  him  the  cat,  explaining  that 
a  certain  foreigner  had  given  it  to  her  as  a  present. 

-The  Tsar,  seeing  such  a  wonderful  little  beast,  was 
greatly  delighted,  and  gave  orders  to  call  Simeon  the 
Thief;  and  when  he  came,  the  Tsar  wished  to  reward 
him  with  money  for  the  cat;  but  as  Simeon  would 
not  take  it,  he  said :  "  My  friend,  live  for  the 
time  in  my  house,  and  meanwhile,  in  your  pres- 
ence, the  cat  will  become  better  used  to  my 
daughter." 

To  this  Simeon  did  not  agree,  and  said  to  the  Tsar: 
"Your  Majesty,  I  could  live  with  great  delight  in 
your  house  if  I  had  not  the  ship  on  which  I  came 
to  your  kingdom,  and  which  I  cannot  commit  to  any 
one ;  but  if  you  command,  me  I  will  come  every  day 
and  teach  the  cat  to  know  your  daughter." 


236        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  Tsar  commanded  Simeon  to  come  every  day. 
Simeon  began  to  visit  Tsarevna  Yelena  the  Beautiful. 
One  day  he  said  to  her:  "  Gracious  lady,  often  have  I 
come  here;  I  see  that  you  are  not  pleased  to  walk 
anywhere ;  you  might  come  to  my  ship,  and  I  would 
show  you  such  costly  brocades  as  you  have  never 
seen  till  this  day." 

The  Tsarevna  went  straightway  to  her  father  and 
began  to  beg  permission  to  go  to  the  ship-wharf. 
The  Tsar  permitted  her,  and  told  her  to  take  nurses 
and  maidens,  and  go  with  Simeon. 

As  soon  as  they  came  to  the  wharf  Simeon  invited 
her  to  his  ship,  and  when  she  entered  the  ship  Simeon 
and  his  brothers  began  to  show  the  Tsarevna  various 
rich  brocades.  Then  Simeon  the  Thief  said  to  Yelena 
the  Beautiful :  "  Now  be  pleased  to  tell  your  nurses 
and  maidens  to  leave  the  ship,  because  I  wish  to  show 
you  things  so  costly  that  they  should  not  see  them." 

The  Tsarevna  commanded  her  maidens  and  nurses 
to  leave  the  ship.  As  soon  as  they  had  gone,  Simeon 
the  Thief  ordered  his  brothers  in  silence  to  cut  off 
the  anchor  and  go  to  sea  with  all  sail ;  meanwhile 
he  showed  the  Tsarevna  rich  goods  and  made  her 
presents  of  some.  About  two  hours  had  passed  while 
he  was  showing  the  stuffs.  At  last  she  said  it  was  time 
for  her  to  go  home,  the  Tsar  her  father  would  expect 
her  to  dinner.  Then  she  went  out  of  the  cabin  and 
saw  that  the  ship  was  under  sail  and  land  no  longer 
in  sight. 


The  Seven  Simeons,  Full  Brothers.        237 

She  struck  herself  on  the  breast,  turned  into  a 
swan,  and  flew  off.  The  fifth  Simeon  took  his  gun 
that  minute  and  wounded  the  swan ;  the  sixth  Simeon 
did  not  let  her  fall  to  the  water,  but  brought  her  back 
to  the  ship,  where  she  became  a  maiden  as  before. 

The  nurses  and  maidens  who  were  at  the  wharf, 
seeing  the  ship  move  away  from  the  shore  with  the 
Tsarevna,  ran  straight  to  the  Tsar  and  told  him  of 
Simeon's  deceit.  Then  the  Tsar  sent  a  whole  fleet  in 
pursuit.  When  this  fleet  coming  up  was  very  near  the 
ship  of  the  Simeons,  the  fourth  Simeon  seized  the 
prow  and  conducted  the  ship  to  the  underground 
kingdom.  When  the  ship  had  become  entirely  invis- 
ible, the  commanders  of  the  fleet  thought  it  was  lost, 
with  the  Tsarevna ;  therefore  they  returned,  and  re- 
ported to  the  Tsar  that  Simeon's  ship  had  gone  to  the 
bottom  with  Yelena  the  Beautiful. 

The  Simeons  arrived  at  their  own  kingdom  suc- 
cessfully, delivered  Yelena  the  Beautiful  to  Tsar  Ador, 
who  for  such  a  mighty  service  of  the  Simeons  gave 
liberty  to  them  all,  and  plenty  of  gold,  silver,  and 
precious  stones,  married  Yelena  the  Beautiful  himself, 
and  lived  with  her  many  years. 


THE   ENCHANTED   PRINCESS. 

IN  a  certain  kingdom  a  soldier  served  in  the 
mounted  guard  of  the  king.  He  served  twen- 
ty-five years  in  faithfulness  and  truth;  and  for  his 
good  conduct  the  king  gave  orders  to  discharge  him 
with  honor,  and  give  him  as  reward  the  same  horse 
on  which  he  had  ridden  in  the  regiment,  with  all  the 
caparison. 

The  soldier  took  farewell  of  his  comrades  and  set 
out  for  his  native  place.  He  travelled  a  day,  a  sec- 
ond, and  a  third.  Behold,  a  whole  week  had  gone ; 
a  second  and  third  week  !  The  soldier  had  no 
money  ;  he  had  nothing  to  eat  himself,  nothing  to 
give  his  horse,  and  his  home  was  far.  far  away.  He 
saw  that  the  affair  was  a  very  bad  one ;  he  wanted 
terribly  to  eat,  began  to  look  in  one  direction  and 
another,  and  saw  on  one  side  a  great  castle.  "  Well," 
thought  he,  "  better  go  there ;  maybe  they  will  take 
me  even  for  a  time  to  serve,  —  I  '11  earn  something." 

He  turned  to  the  castle,  rode  into  the  court,  put 
his  horse  in  the  stable,  gave  him  hay,  and  entered  the 
castle.  In  the  castle  a  table  was  set  with  food  and 
wine,  —  with  everything  that  the  soul  could  wish  for. 

The  soldier  ate  and  drank.  "  Now,"  thought  he, 
"  I  may  sleep." 


The  Enchanted  Princess.  239 

All  at  once  a  bear  came  in.  "  Fear  me  not,  brave 
hero;  thou  hast  come  in  good  time.  I  am  not  a 
savage  bear,  but  a  fair  maiden,  an  enchanted  princess. 
If  thou  canst  endure  and  pass  three  nights  in  this 
place,  the  enchantment  will  be  broken,  I  shall  be  a 
princess  as  before,  and  will  marry  thee." 

The  soldier  consented.  Now,  there  fell  upon  him 
such  a  sadness  that  he  could  not  look  on  the  world, 
and  every  moment  the  sadness  increased;  if  there 
had  been  no  wine  he  could  not  have  held  out  a  single 
night,  as  it  seemed.  The  second  night  it  went  so  far 
that  the  soldier  resolved  to  leave  everything  and  run 
away;  but  no  matter  how  he  struggled,  no  matter 
how  he  tried,  he  found  no  way  out  of  the  castle. 
There  was  no  help  for  it,  he  had  to  stay  in  spite  of 
himself. 

He  passed  the  third  night.  In  the  morning  there 
stood  before  him  a  princess  of  unspeakable  beauty. 
She  thanked  him  for  his  service,  and  told  him  to 
make  ready  for  the  crown  (marriage).  Straightway 
they  had  the  wedding,  and  began  to  live  together 
without  care  or  trouble.  After  a  time  the  soldier 
remembered  his  native  place;  he  wanted  to  spend 
some  time  there.  The  princess  tried  to  dissuade 
him. 

"  Remain,  stay  here,  my  friend,  go  not  away. 
What  is  lacking  to  thee?" 

No,  she  could  not  dissuade  him.     She  took  fare-      \ 
well  of  her  husband,  gave  him  a  sack  filled  with  seeds, 


240       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

and  said :  "  On  whatever  road  thou  mayest  travel, 
throw  these  seeds  on  both  sides.  Wherever  they  fall, 
that  moment  trees  will  spring  up ;  on  the  trees  pre- 
cious fruit  will  be  hanging  in  beauty,  various  birds 
will  sing  songs,  and  tom-cats  from  over  the  sea  will 
tell  tales." 

The  good  hero  sat  on  his  horse  of  service  and 
went  his  way.  Wherever  he  journeyed  he  cast  seeds 
on  both  sides,  and  after  him  forests  were  rising,  just 
creeping  out  of  the  damp  earth.  He  rode  one  day,  he 
rode  a  second,  a  third,  and  saw  in  the  open  field  a 
caravan.  On  the  grass  merchants  were  sitting  play- 
ing cards,  near  them  a  great  kettle  was  hanging,  and, 
though  there  was  no  fire  under  the  kettle,  it  was  boil- 
ing like  a  fountain  within  the  pot.  "  What  a  won- 
der!" thought  the  soldier;  "there  is  no  fire  to  be 
seen,  and  in  the  kettle  it  is  boiling  like  a  fountain,  — 
let  me  look  at  it  more  closely."  He  turned  his  horse 
to  the  place  and  rode  up  to  the  merchants. 

"  Hail,  honorable  gentlemen !  "  He  had  no  sus- 
picion that  these  were  not  merchants,  but  all  unclean. 
"  That  is  a  good  trick  of  yours,  —  a  kettle  boiling 
without  fire;  but  I  have  a  better  one." 

He  took  out  a  seed  and  threw  it  on  the  ground,  — 
that  moment  a  full-grown  tree  came  up ;  on  the  tree 
were  precious  fruits  in  their  beauty,  various  birds 
were  singing  songs,  and  tom-cats  from  over  the 
sea  were  telling  tales.  From  this  boast  the  unclean 
knew  him. 


The  Enchanted  Princess.  241 

"  Ah,"  said  they  among  themselves,  "  this  is  the 
man  who  liberated  the  princess !  Come,  brothers, 
let  us  drug  him  with  a  weed,  and  let  him  sleep  half 
a  year." 

They  went  to  entertaining  him,  and  drugged  him 
with  the  magic  weed.  The  soldier  dropped  on  the 
grass  and  fell  into  deep  sleep  from  which  he  could 
not  be  roused.  The  merchants,  the  caravan,  and  the 
kettle  vanished  in  a  twinkle. 

Soon  after  the  princess  went  out  in  her  garden 
and  saw  that  the  tops  of  all  the  trees  had  begun  to 
wither.  "  This  is  not  for  good,"  thought  she;  "it 
is  evident  that  evil  has  come  to  my  husband." 

Three  months  passed.  It  was  time  for  his  return, 
and  there  was  nothing  of  him,  nothing.  The  princess 
made  ready  and  went  to  search  for  him.  She  went 
by  that  road  along  which  he  had  travelled,  —  on  both 
sides  forests  were  growing,  birds  were  singing,  and 
tom-cats  from  over  the  sea  were  purring  their  tales. 
She  reached  the  spot  where  there  were  no  more  trees, 
the  road  wound  out  into  the  open  field ;  she  thought, 
"Where  has  he  gone  to?  Of  course  he  has  not 
sunk  through  the  earth." 

She  looked,  aside  by  itself  was  one  of  the  won- 
derful trees,  and  under  it  her  dear  husband.  She 
ran  to  him,  pushed,  and  tried  to  rouse  him.  No,  he 
did  not  wake.  She  pinched  him,  stuck  pins  in  his 
side,  pricked  and  pricked  him.  He  did  not  feel 
even  the  pain,  —  lay  like  a  corpse  without  motion. 

16 


242        Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  princess  grew  angry,  and  in  her  anger  pro- 
nounced the  spell :  "  Mayest  thou  be  caught  by 
the  stormy  whirlwind,  thou  good-for-nothing  sleepy 
head,  and  be  borne  to  places  unknown !  " 

She  had  barely  uttered  these  words  when  the  wind 
began  to  whistle,  to  sound,  and  in  one  flash  the  sol- 
dier was  caught  up  by  a  boisterous  whirlwind  and 
borne  away  from  the  eyes  of  the  princess.  She  saw 
too  late  that  she  had  spoken  an  evil  speech.  She 
shed  bitter  tears,  went  home,  lived  alone  and  lonely. 

The  poor  soldier  was  borne  by  the  whirlwind  far, 
far  away  beyond  the  thrice-ninth  land,  to  the  thirtieth 
kingdom,  and  thrown  on  a  point  between  two  seas ; 
he  fell  on  the  very  narrowest  little  wedge.  If  the 
sleeping  man  were  to  turn  to  the  right,  or  roll  to  the 
left,  that  moment  he  would  tumble  into  the  sea,  and 
then  remember  his  name. 

The  good  hero  slept  out  his  half  year,  —  moved  not 
a  finger;  and  when  he  woke  he  sprang  straight  to  his 
feet,  looked  on  both  sides.  The  waves  are  rolling; 
no  end  can  be  seen  to  the  broad  sea.  He  stands  in 
doubt,  asking  himself,  "  By  what  miracle  have  I  come 
to  this  place?  Who  dragged  me  hither?"  He  turned 
back  from  the  point  and  came  out  on  an  island ;  on 
that  island  was  a  mountain  steep  and  lofty,  touching 
the  clouds  with  its  peak,  and  on  the  mountain  a 
great  stone.  He  came  near  this  mountain  and  saw 
three  devils  fighting;  blood  was  just  flowing  from 
them,  and  bits  of  flesh  flying. 


The  Enchanted  Princess.  243 

"  Stop,  ye  outcasts  !     What  are  ye  fighting  for?  " 

"  But  seest  thou  our  father  died  three  days  ago  and 
left  three  wonderful  things,  —  a  flying  carpet,  swift- 
moving  boots,  and  a  cap  of  invisibility ;  and  we  can- 
not divide  them." 

"  Oh,  ye  cursed  fellows,  to  fight  for  such  trifles ! 
If  ye  wish  I  '11  divide  them  between  you,  and  ye  shall 
be  satisfied ;  I  '11  offend  no  one." 

"  Well  then,  countryman,  divide  between  us  if  it 
please  thee." 

"  Very  good.  Run  quickly  through  the  pine  woods 
and  gather  one  hundred  poods  of  pitch,  and  bring 
it  here." 

The  devils  rushed  through  the  pine  woods,  col- 
lected three  hundred  poods  of  pitch,  and  brought  it 
to  the  soldier. 

"  Now  bring  me  from  your  own  kingdom  the  very 
largest  kettle  that  is  in  it."  The  devils  brought  the 
very  largest  kettle,  —  one  holding  forty  barrels,  — 
and  put  the  pitch  into  it.  The  soldier  made  a  fire, 
and  when  the  pitch  was  boiling  he  ordered  the  devils 
to  take  it  on  the  mountain  and  pour  it  out  from  the 
top  to  the  bottom.  The  devils  did  this  in  a  flash. 
"  Now,"  said  the  soldier,  "  push  that  stone  there ;  let 
it  roll  from  the  mountain,  and  follow  it.  Whoever 
comes  up  with  it  first  may  take  any  of  the  three 
things;  whoever  comes  up  second  will  choose  from 
the  two  remaining  ones  whichever  he  likes ;  and  the 
last  wonder  will  go  to  the  third."  The  devils  pushed 


244       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

the  stone,  and  it  rolled  from  the  mountain  quickly, 
quickly.  One  devil  caught  up,  seized  the  stone,  the 
stone  turned,  and  in  a  flash  put  him  under  it,  crushed 
him  into  the  pitch.  The  second  devil  caught  up,  and 
then  the  third ;  and  with  them  it  happened  as  with 
the  first,  —  they  were  driven  firmly  into  the  pitch. 

The  soldier  took  under  his  arm  the  swift  boots  and 
the  cap  of  invisibility,  sat  on  the  flying  carpet,  and 
flew  off  to  look  for  his  own  country.  Whether  it  was 
long  or  short,  he  came  to  a  hut,  went  in.  In  the  hut 
was  sitting  a  Baba-Yaga,  bone-leg,  old  and  toothless. 
"  Greetings  to  thee,  grandmother !  Tell  how  I  am 
to  find  my  fair  princess." 

"  I  have  not  seen  her  with  sight,  I  have  not  heard 
of  her  with  hearing ;  but  pass  over  so  many  seas  and 
so  many  lands,  and  there  lives  my  second  sister. 
She  knows  more  than  I  do;  mayhap  she  can  tell 
thee." 

The  soldier  sat  on  his  carpet  and  flew  away.  He 
had  to  wander  long  over  the  white  world.  Whenever 
he  wanted  to  eat  or  drink,  he  put  on  the  cap  of  in- 
visibility, let  himself  down,  entered  a  shop,  and  took 
what  his  heart  desired ;  then  to  the  carpet  and  off  on 
his  journey.  He  came  to  the  second  hut,  entered ; 
inside  was  sitting  Baba-Yaga,  bone-leg,  old  and  tooth- 
less. "  Greeting  to  thee,  grandmother !  Dost  thou 
know  how  I  can  find  my  fair  princess?  " 

"No,  my  dove,  I  do  not  know." 

"  Ah,  thou  old  hag !  how  many  years  art  thou  living 


The  Enchanted  Princess.  245 

in  the  world  ?  All  thy  teeth  are  out,  and  thou  knowest 
no  good." 

He  sat  on  the  flying  carpet  and  flew  toward  the 
eldest  sister.  Long  did  he  wander,  many  seas  and 
many  lands  did  he  see.  At  last  he  flew  to  the  end 
of  the  world,  where  there  was  a  hut  and  no  road 
beyond,  —  nothing  but  outer  darkness,  nothing  to  be 
seen. 

"  Well,"  thought  he,  "  if  I  can  get  no  account  here, 
there  is  nowhere  else  to  fly  to."  He  went  into  the 
hut ;  there  a  Baba-Yaga  was  sitting,  gray,  toothless. 

"  Greeting  to  thee,  grandmother !  Tell  me  where 
must  I  seek  my  princess." 

"  Wait  a  little ;  I  will  call  all  my  winds  together  and 
ask  them.  They  blow  over  all  the  world,  so  they 
must  know  where  she  is  living  at  present." 

The  old  woman  went  out  on  the  porch,  cried  with 
a  loud  voice,  whistled  with  a  hero's  whistle.  Straight- 
way the  stormy  winds  rose  and  blew  from  every  side ; 
the  hut  just  quivered. 

"  Quieter,  quieter  !"  cried  Baba-Yaga;  and  as  soon 
as  the  winds  had  assembled,  she  said :  "  My  stormy 
winds,  ye  blow  through  all  the  world.  Have  ye  seen 
the  beautiful  princess  anywhere  ?  " 

"  We  have  not  seen  her  anywhere,"  answered  the 
winds  in  one  voice. 

"But  are  ye  all  here?" 

"  All  but  South  Wind." 

After  waiting  a  little,  South  Wind  flew  up.    The  old 


C 


246       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

woman  asked :  "  Where  hast  thou  been  lost  to  this 
moment?  I  could  hardly  wait  for  thee." 

"  Pardon,  grandmother ;  I  went  into  a  new  kingdom, 
where  the  beautiful  princess  is  living.  Her  husband 
has  vanished  without  tidings,  so  now  various  Tsars 
and  Tsars'  sons,  kings  and  kings'  sons  are  paying 
court  to  her." 

"  And  how  far  is  it  to  the  new  kingdom?  " 

"  For  a  man  on  foot  thirty-five  years,  ten  years 
on  wings ;  but  if  I  blow  I  can  put  a  man  there  in 
three  hours." 

The  soldier  implored  South  Wind  tearfully  to  take 
him  and  bear  him  to  the  new  kingdom. 

"  I  will,  if  it  please  thee,"  said  South  Wind,  "  pro- 
vided thou  wilt  let  me  run  around  in  thy  kingdom 
three  days  and  three  nights  as  I  like." 

"  Frolic  three  weeks  if  thou  choosest." 

"Well,  I  will  rest  for  two  or  three  days,  collect  my 
forces  and  my  strength,  and  then  for  the  road  !  " 

South  Wind  rested,  collected  his  strength,  and 
said  to  the  soldier :  "  Well,  brother,  make  ready, 
we  '11  go  straightway ;  but  look  out,  have  no  fear, 
thou  wilt  arrive  in  safety." 

All  at  once  a  mighty  whirlwind  whistled  and  roared, 
caught  the  soldier  into  the  air,  and  bore  him  over 
mountains  and  seas  up  to  the  very  clouds;  and  in 
three  hours  exactly  he  was  in  the  new  kingdom, 
where  his  beautiful  princess  was  living.  South  Wind 
said,  — 


The  Enchanted  Princess.  247 

"  Farewell,  good  hero ;  out  of  compassion  for  thee 
I  will  not  frolic  in  thy  kingdom." 

"  Why  is  that?" 

"  Because  if  I  frolic,  not  one  house  will  be  standing 
in  the  town,  not  one  tree  in  the  gardens;  I  should 
put  everything  bottom  upward." 

"  Farewell  then ;  God  save  thee  !  "  said  the  soldier, 
who  put  on  his  cap  of  invisibility  and  went  to  the  white- 
walled  castle.  Behold,  while  he  was  absent  from  the 
kingdom  all  the  trees  in  the  garden  had  stood  with 
withered  tops,  and  the  moment  he  appeared  they  came 
to  life  and  began  to  bloom.  He  entered  the  great 
hall ;  there  were  sitting  at  the  table  various  Tsars  and 
Tsars'  sons,  kings  and  kings'  sons  who  had  come  to 
pay  court  to  the  beautiful  princess.  They  were  sitting 
and  entertaining  themselves  with  sweet  wines.  Who- 
ever filled  a  glass  and  raised  it  to  his  lips,  the  soldier 
that  moment  struck  it  with  his  fist  and  knocked  it 
from  his  hand.  All  the  guests  wondered  at  this ;  but 
the  beautiful  princess  understood  in  a  moment  the 
reason. 

"  Surely,"  thought  she,  "  my  friend  is  here."  She 
looked  through  the  window;  all  the  tree-tops  in  the 
garden  had  come  to  life,  aad  she  gave  a  riddle  to  the 
guests.  "  I  had  a  home-made  casket  with  a  golden 
key ;  I  lost  this  key,  and  did  not  think  to  find  it :  but 
now  this  key  has  found  itself.  Who  guesses  the  riddle, 
him  will  I  marry." 

The  Tsars   and  Tsars'  sons,  the  kings  and  kings' 


248       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

sons  were  long  breaking  their  wise  heads  over  this 
riddle,  and  could  not  solve  it  in  any  way. 

The  princess  said :   "  Show  thyself,  dear  friend." 

The  soldier  removed  his  cap  of  invisibility,  took 
her  by  the  white  hand,  and  began  to  kiss  her  on  the 
sweet  mouth. 

"  Here  is  the  riddle  for  you,"  said  the  fair  princess : 
"  I  am  the  home-made  casket,  and  the  golden  key  is 
my  faithful  husband." 

The  wooers  had  to  turn  their  wagon-shafts  around. 
'  They  all  drove  home,  and  the  princess  began  to  live 
with  her  husband,  to  live  and  win  wealth. 


VASSILISSA  THE   CUNNING   AND  THE  TSAR 
OF  THE   SEA. 

A  PEASANT  sowed  rye,  and  the  Lord  gave  him 
a  wonderful  harvest.  He  could  barely  bring 
it  in  from  the  field.  He  drew  the  bundles  home, 
threshed  the  grain,  and  poured  it  into  bins ;  his  gra- 
nary was  full  to  the  brim.  When  he  was  pouring  it 
in,  he  thought,  "  Now  I  shall  live  without  trouble." 

A  mouse  and  a  sparrow  used  to  visit  that  peasant's 
barn ;  every  one  of  God's  days  they  came  about  five 
times,  ate  all  they  could,  and  then  went  out.  The 
mouse  would  spring  into  her  hole,  and  the  sparrow 
fly  away  to  his  nest.  They  lived  together  in  this 
way  in  friendship  for  three  whole  years,  ate  up  all 
the  grain ;  there  remained  only  a  mere  trifle,  about 
eight  bushels,  not  more. 

The  mouse  saw  that  the  supply  was  drawing  to  an 
end,  and  began  to  contrive  how  to  deceive  the  spar- 
row and  get  possession  of  all  that  was  left.  And  the 
mouse  succeeded.  She  came  in  the  dark  night-time, 
,gnawed  a  great  hole  in  a  plank,  and  let  all  the  rye 
down  through  the  floor  to  the  last  grain.  Next 
morning  the  sparrow  came  to  the  granary  to  have 
breakfast;  looked,  there  was  nothing!  The  poor 


250       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

fellow  flew  out  hungry,  and  thought  to  himself,  "  Oh, 
the  cursed  creature,  she  has  deceived  me !  I  will  fly 
now  to  her  sovereign,  the  lion,  and  present  a  petition 
against  the  mouse ;  let  the  lion  pass  judgment  on  us 
in  justice." 

So  he  started  and  flew  to  the  lion.  "  Lion,  Tsar  of 
beasts,"  said  the  sparrow,  beating  to  him  with  the 
forehead,  "  I  lived  with  one  of  thy  beasts,  the  strong- 
toothed  mouse.  We  lived  for  three  years  in  one 
barn  and  had  no  dispute.  But  when  the  supply  be- 
gan to  come  to  an  end,  she  went  to  playing  tricks, 
gnawed  a  hole  through  the  floor,  and  let  all  the 
grain  down  to  herself,  —  left  me,  poor  fellow,  to  be 
hungry.  Judge  us  in  truth ;  if  not,  I  will  fly  to  seek 
justice  and  reparation  from  my  own  Tsar,  the  eagle." 

"  Well,  fly  off,  with  God !  "  said  the  lion. 

The  sparrow  rushed  with  his  petition  to  the  eagle, 
related  the  whole  offence,  how  the  mouse  had  stolen 
and  the  lion  had  upheld  her.  The  eagle  grew 
fiercely  angry,  and  sent  a  swift  courier  to  the  lion 
straightway :  "  Come  to-morrow  with  thy  army  of 
beasts  to  such  and  such  a  field ;  I  will  assemble  all 
the  birds  and  give  battle." 

Nothing  to  be  done,  the  lion  made  a  great  call  and 
summoned  the  beasts  to  battle.  There  were  assem- 
bled of  them  seen  and  unseen.  As  soon  as  they 
came  to  the  open  field,  the  eagle  flew  upon  them  with 
his  winged  warriors  like  a  cloud  from  heaven.  A 
great  battle  began.  They  fought  for  three  hours  and 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar. 


three  minutes,  and  the  eagle  Tsar  conquered;  he 
covered  the  whole  field  with  bodies  of  beasts.  Then 
he  sent  his  birds  to  their  homes,  and  flew  himself  to 
a  slumbering  forest,  sat  on  a  lofty  oak,  bruised  and 
wounded,  and  began  to  think  seriously  how  to  regain 
his  former  strength. 

This  was  a  long  time  ago.  There  lived  then  a  mer- 
chant with  his  wife,  and  they  had  not  a  single  child. 
The  merchant  rose  up  one  morning  and  said  to  his 
wife:  "  I  have  had  a  bad  dream.  I  thought  that  a 
great  bird  fastened  on  me,  —  one  that  eats  a  whole  ox 
at  a  meal  and  drinks  a  pailful ;  and  it  was  impossible 
to  get  rid  of  the  bird,  impossible  not  to  feed  it.  I  '11 
go  to  the  forest;  mayhap  the  walk  will  cheer  me." 

He  took  his  gun  and  went  to  the  forest.  Whether 
he  wandered  long  or  short  in  that  forest,  he  wandered 
till  he  came  to  an  oak-tree,  saw  an  eagle,  and  was 
going  to  shoot  it. 

"  Kill  me  not,  good  hero,"  said  the  eagle,  in  a  hu- 
man voice.  "  If  thou  kill  me,  small  will  be  thy  profit. 
Better  take  me  home,  feed  me  for  three  years,  three 
months,  and  three  days.  I  shall  recover  at  thy  house, 
shall  let  my  wings  grow,  regain  my  strength,  and  re- 
pay thee  with  good." 

"What  pay  can  one  expect  from  an  eagle?" 
thought  the  merchant,  and  aimed  a  second  time. 
The  eagle  spoke  as  at  first.  The  merchant  aimed  a 
third  time,  and  again  the  eagle  begged,  — 


252       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Kill  me  not,  good  hero  !  Feed  me  three  years, 
three  months,  and  three  days;  when  I  have  recov- 
ered, when  my  wings  have  grown,  and  I  have  re- 
gained my  strength,  I  '11  repay  thee  with  good." 
J  The  merchant  took  pity  on  the  eagle,  carried  him 
home,  killed  an  ox,  and  poured  out  a  pailful  of  mead. 
"  This  will  serve  the  eagle  for  a  long  time,"  thought 
he ;  but  the  eagle  ate  and  drank  all  at  one  meal.  A 
bad  time  to  the  merchant;  from  the  unbidden  guest 
utter  ruin. 

The  eagle  saw  the  merchant's  loss  and  said  : 
"  Hear  me,  my  host !  Go  to  the  open  field.  Thou 
wilt  find  there  many  beasts  killed  and  wounded. 
Take  their  rich  furs,  bear  them  to  the  town  to  sell. 
Get  food  for  thyself  and  me,  and  there  will  be  some 
left  for  a  supply." 

The  merchant  went  into  the  open  field  and  saw 
many  animals  lying  there,  some  slain  and  some 
wounded.  He  took  the  dearest  furs,  carried  them 
to  town  to  sell,  and  sold  them  for  much  money. 
'  A  year  passed.  The  eagle  said :  "  Bear  me  to  that 
place  where  the  lofty  oaks  are  standing." 

The  merchant  got  his  wagon  ready  and  took  him 
to  that  place.  The  eagle  rose  above  the  clouds,  and 
when  he  swooped  down,  he  struck  a  tree  with  his 
breast,  the  oak  was  split  in  two.  "  Well,  merchant, 
good  hero,"  said  the  eagle,  "  I  have  not  regained 
my  former  strength;  feed  me  another  round  year." 

Another  year  passed.     Again  the  eagle  rose  be* 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  253 

yond  the  dark  clouds,  shot  down  from  above,  struck 
the  tree  with  his  breast,  split  the  oak  into  small 
pieces.  "  Merchant,  good  hero,  thou  must  feed  me 
another  whole  year ;  I  have  not  regained  my  former 
strength !  " 

When  three  years,  three  months,  and  three  days 
had  passed,  the  eagle  said  to  the  merchant:  "Take 
me  again  to  the  same  place,  —  to  the  lofty  oaks." 
The  merchant  carried  him  to  the  lofty  oaks.  The 
eagle  soared  higher  than  before;  like  a  mighty  whirl- 
wind he  struck  from  above  the  largest  oak,  broke  it 
into  small  bits  from  the  top  to  the  root,  —  indeed,  the 
forest  was  reeling  all  around.  "  God  save  thee,  mer- 
chant, good  hero!"  said  the  eagle;  "now  all  my 
former  strength  is  with  me.  Leave  thy  horse,  sit  on 
my  wings ;  I  will  bear  thee  to  my  own  land,  and  pay 
thee  for  all  the  good  thou  hast  done."  The  merchant 
sat  on  his  wings,  the  eagle  bore  him  out  on  the  blue 
sea,  and  he  rose  high,  high.  "  Look  now,"  said  he, 
"  on  the  blue  sea.  Is  it  wide?  " 

"  As  a  cart-wheel,"  answered  the  merchant. 

The  eagle  shook  his  wings  and  threw  the  mer- 
chant, let  him  fall,  gave  him  to  feel  mortal  terror, 
and  caught  him  before  he  had  reached  the  water,  — 
caught  him,  and  rose  still  higher.  "  Look  on  the 
blue  sea.  Is  it  great?" 

"  As  a  hen's  egg." 

The  eagle  shook  his  wings,  threw  the  merchant, 
let  him  fall,  but  did  not  let  him  reach  the  water, 


254        Russian  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

caught  him,  and  rose  up  higher  than  ever.  "  Look 
on  the  blue  sea.  Is  it  great?" 

"  As  a  poppy  seed." 

A  third  time  the  eagle  shook  his  wings  and  threw 
the  merchant  from  under  the  heavens ;  still  he  did  n't 
let  him  reach  the  water,  caught  him,  and  asked: 
"  Well,  merchant,  good  hero,  hast  thou  felt  what 
mortal  terror  is?  " 

"I  have,"  said  the  merchant;  "and  I  thought  I 
was  lost  forever." 

"  And  so  did  I  when  thou  wert  pointing  thy  gun 
at  me." 

The  eagle  flew  with  the  merchant  beyond  the  sea, 
straight  to  the  copper  kingdom.  "  Behold,  my  eld- 
est sister  lives  here !  "  said  the  eagle.  "  When  we 
shall  be  guests  with  her,  and  she  brings  presents, 
take  nothing,  but  ask  for  the  copper  casket."  The 
}  eagle  said  this,  struck  the  damp  earth,  turned  into 
va  gallant  hero. 

They  went  through  the  broad  court.  The  sister  saw 
him,  and  was  delighted.  "  Oh,  my  own  brother,  how 
has  God  brought  thee?  I  have  not  seen  thee  for 
three  years  and  more ;  I  thought  thou  wert  lost  for- 
ever. How  can  I  entertain  thee?  How  can  I  feast 
thee?" 

"  Entertain  not  me,  my  dear  sister,  I  am  at  home 
in  thy  house;  but  entreat  and  entertain  this  good 
hero.  He  gave  me  meat  and  drink  for  three  years, 
—  did  not  let  me  die  of  hunger." 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  255 

She  seated  them  at  the  oaken  table,  at  the  spread 
cloth;  she  feasted  and  entertained  them,  then  led 
them  to  her  treasure-chambers,  showed  treasures  in- 
calculable, and  said  to  the  merchant :  "  Good  hero, 
here  are  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones ;  take  what 
thy  soul  desires." 

The  merchant  gave  answer:  "I  need  neither  gold, 
silver,  nor  precious  stones.  Give  me  the  copper 
casket." 

"  Thou  'It  not  get  it;  that  is  not  the  boot  for  thy 
foot." 

The  brother  was  angry  at  his  sister's  words;  he 
turned  into  an  eagle,  —  a  swift  bird,  —  caught  the 
merchant,  and  flew  away. 

"  Oh,  my  own  brother,  come  back ! "  cried  the 
sister.  "  I  '11  not  stand  for  the  casket." 

"  Thou  art  late,  sister !  " 

The  eagle  flew  through  the  air.  "  Look,  merchant, 
good  hero,  what  is  behind  us  and  what  before  ?  " 

"  Behind,  a  fire  is  in  sight ;  before  us  flowers  are 
blooming." 

"That  is  the  copper  kingdom  in  flames,  and  the 
flowers  are  blooming  in  the  silver  kingdom  of  my 
second  sister.  When  we  are  her  guests,  and  she 
offers  gifts,  take  nothing,  but  ask  for  the  silver 
casket."  The  eagle  came,  struck  the  damp  earth, 
and  become  a  good  hero. 

"  Oh,  my  own  brother,"  said  his  sister,  "  whence 
hast  come;  where  wert  thou  lost;  why  hast  thou 


256       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

been  so  long  without  visiting  me;  with  what  can  I 
serve  thee?  " 

"  Entreat  me  not,  entertain  me  not,  my  dear  sister, 
I  am  at  home  with  thee ;  but  entreat  and  entertain 
this  good  hero,  who  gave  me  meat  and  drink  for 
three  years,  and  did  not  let  me  die  of  hunger." 

She  seated  them  at  the  oaken  tables  at  spread 
cloths,  entertained  and  feasted  them,  then  led  them 
to  treasure-chambers.  "  Here  are  gold  and  silver 
and  precious  stones;  take,  merchant,  what  thy  soul 
desires." 

"  I  want  neither  gold,  silver,  nor  precious  stones. 
Give  me  only  the  silver  casket." 

"  No,  good  hero,  thy  desire  is  not  for  the  right 
morsel;  thou  mightest  choke  thyself." 

The  eagle  brother  was  angry,  caught  up  the  mer- 
chant, and  flew  away. 

"  Oh,  my  own  brother,  come  back !  I  will  not 
stand  for  the  casket." 

"  Thou  art  late,  sister !  " 

Again  the  eagle  flew  under  the  heavens.  "  See, 
merchant,  good  hero,  what  is  behind  us,  what  is 
before?" 

"  Behind  us  a  fire  is  blazing ;  before  us  are  flowers 
in  bloom." 

"  That  is  the  silver  kingdom  in  flames ;  but  the 
flowers  are  blooming  in  the  golden  kingdom  of  my 
youngest  sister.  When  we  are  her  guests,  and  she 
offers  gifts,  take  nothing ;  ask  only  the  golden  casket." 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  257 

The  eagle  came  to  the  golden  kingdom  and  turned 
into  a  good  hero. 

"  Oh,  my  own  brother,"  said  the  sister,  "  whence 
hast  thou  come  ?  Where  hast  thou  vanished  so  long 
that  thou  hast  not  visited  me?  With  what  shall  I 
feast  thee  ?  " 

"  Entreat  me  not,  feast  me  not,  I  am  at  home ;  but 
entreat  and  feast  this  merchant,  good  hero.  He  gave 
me  meat  and  drink  for  three  years,  —  saved  me  from 
hunger." 

She  seated  them  at  the  oaken  table,  at  the  spread 
cloth,  entertained  them,  feasted  them,  led  the  mer- 
chant to  her  treasure-chambers,  offered  him  gold, 
silver,  and  precious  stones. 

"  I  need  nothing ;  give  me  only  the  golden  casket." 

"  Take  it  for  thy  happiness.  Thou  didst  give 
meat  and  drink  to  my  brother  for  three  years,  and 
didst  save  him  from  hunger ;  I  regret  nothing  that  is 
spent  on  my  brother." 

So  the  merchant  lived  and  feasted  a  while  in  the 
golden  kingdom,  till  the  time  came  for  parting,  for 
taking  the  road. 

"  Farewell,"  said  the  eagle ;  "  think  not  on  me  with 
harsh  feeling,  but  see  that  the  casket  is  not  opened 
till  thou  art  at  home." 

The  merchant  journeyed  homeward.  Whether  it 
was  long  or  short,  he  grew  tired  and  wished  to  rest. 
He  stopped  in  a  strange  meadow  on  the  land  of  the 
Tsar  of  the  Sea ;  he  looked  and  looked  at  the  golden 

17 


258       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

casket,  could  n't  endure,  opened  it.  That  moment, 
wherever  it  came  from,  there  stood  before  him  a 
great  castle  all  painted,  a  multitude  of  servants 
appeared,  inquiring :  "  What  dost  thou  wish  for ; 
what  dost  thou  want?"  The  merchant,  good  hero, 
ate  his  fill,  drank  enough,  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 
The  Tsar  of  the  Sea  saw  that  there  was  a  great  castle 
on  his  land,  and  he  sent  messengers :  "  Go  see  what 
sort  of  an  insolent  fellow  has  come  and  built  a  castle 
on  my  land  without  leave ;  let  him  go  off  at  once  in 
ihealth  and  safety." 

When  such  a  threatening  word  came  to  the  mer- 
chant he  began  to  think  and  conjecture  how  to  put 
the  castle  into  the  casket  as  before ;  he  thought  and 
thought, —  no,  he  could  do  nothing.  "  I  should  be  glad 
to  go  away,"  said  he,  "  but  how,  I  can't  think  myself." 

The  messengers  returned,  and  reported  all  to  the 
Tsar  of  the  Sea.  "  Let  him  give  me  what  he  has  at 
home  but  knows  it  not;  I  will  put  his  palace  in  the 
golden  casket." 

There  was  no  other  way,  and  so  the  merchant 
promised  with  an  oath  to  give  what  he  had  at  home 
but  knew  it  not.  The  Tsar  of  the  Sea  put  the  palace 
in  the  golden  casket  at  once.  The  merchant  took 
the  casket  and  went  his  way.  Whether  it  was  long 
or  short,  he  came  home,  his  wife  met  him.  "  Oh,  be 
thou  hearty,  my  world.  Where  wert  thou  lost?  " 

"  Well,  where  I  was  I  am  not  now." 

"  But  while  thou  wert  gone  the  Lord  gave  us  a  son." 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  259 

"  Ah  !  that  is  what  was  at  home  and  I  knew  it  not," 
thought  the  merchant;  and  he  grew  very  sad  and 
sorrowful. 

"What  is  the  matter?  Art  thou  not  glad  to  be 
here  ?  "  insisted  his  wife. 

"  Not  that,"  said  the  merchant ;  and  he  told  her  all 
that  had  happened  to  him,  and  they  grieved  and  wept 
together.  But  people  of  course  cannot  cry  all  their 
lives.  The  merchant  opened  his  golden  casket,  and 
before  them  stood  a  great  castle  cunningly  adorned, 
and  he  began  to  live  with  his  wife  and  son  and  gain 
wealth. 

Ten  years  passed  and  more;  the  merchant's  son 
grew  up,  became  wise,  fine-looking,  a  splendid  fellow. 
One  morning  he  rose  up  in  sadness  and  said  to  his 
father :  "  My  father,  I  had  a  bad  dream  last  night. 
I  dreamed  of  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea;  he  commanded 
me  to  come  to  him.  '  I  am  waiting  long,'  said  he ; 
'  it  is  time  to  know  thy  honor.'  " 

The  father  and  mother  shed  tears,  gave  him  their 
parental  blessing,  and  let  him  go  to  a  strange  land. 
He  went  along  the  road,  along  the  broad  road;  he 
walked  over  clear  fields  and  wide  steppes,  and  came 
to  a  dreamy  forest.  It  was  empty  all  around,  not  a 
soul  to  be  seen;  but  there  stood  a  small  cabin  by 
itself,  with  front  to  the  forest  and  back  to  Ivan. 
"  Cabin,  cabin,"  said  he,  "  turn  thy  back  to  the  forest, 
thy  front  to  me."  The  cabin  obeyed,  and  turned  its 
back  to  the  forest,  its  front  to  Ivan.  He  entered  the 


260       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

cabin,  inside  was  Baba-Yaga,  bone-leg,  lying  from 
corner  to  corner.  Baba-Yaga  saw  him  and  said: 
"  Before  now,  nothing  of  Russia  was  heard  with  hear- 
ing or  seen  with  sight,  but  now  Russia  runs  to  our 
eyes.  Whence  dost  thou  come,  good  hero,  and  where 
dost  thou  bear  thy  way  ?  " 

"  Oh,  thou  old  hag,  thou  hast  given  neither  meat 
nor  drink  to  a  wayfaring  man,  and  art  asking  for 
news !  " 

Baba-Yaga  put  drink  on  the  table  and  various 
meats ;  she  fed  him,  she  gave  him  to  drink,  and  put 
him  to  rest.  Early  next  morning  she  roused  him, 
and  then  she  put  questions.  Ivan  the  merchant's  son 
told  the  whole  secret,  and  said:  "Teach  me,  grand- 
mother, how  to  go  to  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea." 

"  It  is  well  that  thou  hast  come  to  me ;  hadst  thou 
not,  thou  wouldst  have  lost  thy  life,  for  the  Tsar  of  the 
Sea  is  terribly  angry  because  thou  didst  not  go  to  him 
long  ago.  Listen  to  me :  go  by  this  path ;  thou  wilt 
come  to  a  lake,  hide  behind  a  tree  and  wait  a  while. 
Three  beautiful  doves,  maidens,  will  fly  there,  —  they 
are  the  daughters  of  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea ;  they  will 
loose  their  wings,  undress,  and  bathe  in  the  lake.  One 
will  have  many-colored  wings:  watch  the  moment, 
seize  the  wings,  and  do  not  give  them  up  till  she 
consents  to  marry  thee ;  then  all  will  be  right." 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  took  farewell  of  Baba- 
Yaga  and  travelled  the  path  she  had  shown,  walked 
and  walked,  saw  the  lake,  hid  himself  behind  a 


Vassilissa  and  the   Tsar.  261 

thick  tree.  After  a  time  three  doves  came  flying, 
one  with  many-colored  wings ;  they  struck  the  earth, 
turned  into  beautiful  maidens,  removed  their  wings, 
and  took  off  their  dresses.  Ivan  the  merchant's  son 
kept  his  eyes  open ;  he  crept  up  in  silence  and  took 
the  many-colored  wings.  He  watched  to  see  what 
would  happen.  The  fair  maidens  bathed,  came  out 
of  the  water,  two  of  them  dressed  straightway,  put  on 
their  wings,  turned  into  doves,  and  flew  away.  The 
third  remained  to  find  her  wings.  She  searched, 
singing  the  while :  "  Tell  who  thou  art,  thou  who 
hast  taken  my  wings  !  If  an  old  man,  thou  wilt  be  a 
father  to  me ;  if  of  middle  years,  my  uncle  dear ;  if 
a  good  youth,  I  will  marry  thee." 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  came  from  behind  the 
tree.  "  Here  are  thy  wings  !  " 

"  Now  tell  me,  good  youth,  betrothed  husband,  of 
what  stock  or  race  art  thou,  and  whither  dost  thou 
bear  thy  way  ?  " 

"  I  am  Ivan  the  merchant's  son,  and  I  am  going  to 
thy  own  father,  to  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea." 

"  And  my  name  is  Vassilissa  the  Cunning." 

Now,  Vassilissa  was  the  favorite  daughter  of  the 
Tsar,  and  was  first  in  mind  and  beauty.  She  showed 
her  bridegroom  how  to  go  to  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea, 
sprang  away  as  a  dove,  and  flew  after  her  sisters. 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  came  to  the  Tsar  of  the 
Sea,  who  made  him  serve  in  the  kitchen,  cut  wood, 
and  draw  water.  Chumichka,  the  cook,  did  not  like 


262       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

him,  and  told  lies  to  the  Tsar.  "  Your  Majesty,"  said 
he,  "  Ivan  the  merchant's  son  boasts  that  in  one  night 
he  can  cut  down  a  great  dense  forest,  pile  the  logs  in 
heaps,  dig  out  the  roots,  plough  the  land,  sow  it  with 
wheat,  reap  that  wheat,  thresh  it,  grind  it  into  flour, 
make  cakes  of  the  flour,  and  give  these  cakes  to  your 
Majesty  at  breakfast  next  morning." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Tsar,  "call  him  to  me." 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  came. 

"  Why  art  thou  boasting  that  in  one  night  thou 
canst  cut  down  a  thick  forest,  plough  the  land  just 
like  a  clean  field,  sow  it  with  wheat,  reap  the  wheat, 
thresh  it,  and  make  it  into  flour,  the  flour  into  cakes 
for  my  breakfast  next  morning?  See  that  by  to- 
morrow morning  this  is  all  done;  if  not,  I  have  a 
sword,  and  thy  head  leaves  thy  shoulders." 

No  matter  how  Ivan  protested,  it  was  no  use; 
the  order  was  given,  it  had  to  be  carried  out.  He 
went  away  from  the  Tsar,  and  hung  his  stormy  head 
from  grief.  Vassilissa  the  Cunning,  the  daughter 
of  the  Tsar,  saw  him,  and  asked:  "Why  art  thou 
grieved  ?  " 

"What  is  the  use  in  telling  thee?  Thou  couldst 
not  cure  my  sorrow !  " 

"How  knowest?     Maybe  I  can." 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  told  her  what  task  the 
Tsar  had  put  on  him. 

"What  task  is  that!  That  is  a  pleasure,  —  the 
task  is  ahead.  Go  thy  way;  pray  to  God  and  lie 


t  . 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  263 

down  to  rest ;  the  morning  is  wiser  than  the  evening ; 
toward  daylight  all  will  be  ready." 

Just  at  midnight  Vassilissa  the  Cunning  went  out 
on  the  great  porch  and  cried  in  a  piercing  voice.  In 
one  moment  laborers  ran  together  from  every  side, 
—  myriads  of  them;  one  was  felling  a  tree,  another 
digging  out  roots,  another  ploughing  the  land.  In 
one  place  they  were  sowing,  in  another  reaping  and 
threshing;  a  pillar  of  dust  went  up  to  the  sky, 
and  at  daybreak  the  grain  was  ground,  the  cakes 
baked.  Ivan  took  the  cakes  to  the  breakfast  of  the 
Tsar. 

"  Spendid  fellow!"  said  the  Tsar;  and  he  gave 
command  to  reward  him  from  his  own  treasure. 

Chumichka  the  cook  was  angrier  than  ever  at 
Ivan,  began  to  talk  against  him  again.  "  Your  Ma- 
jesty, Ivan  the  merchant's  son  boasts  that  in  one 
night  he  can  make  a  ship  that  will  fly  through  the 
air." 

"Well,  call  him  hither." 
They  called  Ivan  the  merchant's  son. 
"  Why  boast  to  my  servants  that  in  one  night  thou 
canst  make  a  wonderful  ship  that  will  fly  through  the 
air,  and  say  nothing  to  me  ?     See  this  ship  is  ready 
by  morning;   if  not,  I  have  a  sword,  and  thy  head 
leaves  thy  shoulders." 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  from  sorrow  hung  his 
stormy  head  lower  than  his  shoulders,  and  went  from 
the  Tsar  beside  himself.  Vassilissa  the  Cunning  said 


264       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

to  him :  "  Of  what  art  thou  grieving ;  why  art  thou 
sad?" 

"Why  should  I  not  be  sad?  The  Tsar  of  the  Sea 
has  commanded  me  to  build  in  one  night  a  ship  that 
will  fly  through  the  air." 

"What  sort  of  task  is  that?  That  is  not  a  task, 
but  a  pleasure ;  the  task  is  ahead.  Go  thy  way ;  lie 
down  and  rest :  the  morning  is  wiser  than  the  even- 
ing ;  at  daybreak  all  will  be  done." 

At  midnight  Vassilissa  the  Cunning  went  out  on 
the  great  porch,  cried  in  a  piercing  voice.  In  a  mo- 
ment carpenters  ran  together  from  every  side ;  they 
began  to  pound  with  their  axes,  and  the  work  was 
seething  quickly.  Toward  morning  all  was  ready. 

"  A  hero !  "  said  the  Tsar.  "  Come,  now  we  will 
take  a  trip." 

They  sat  on  the  ship  together,  and  took  as  a  third 
companion  Chumichka  the  cook;  and  they  flew 
through  the  air.  When  they  were  flying  over  the 
place  of  wild  beasts  the  cook  bent  over  the  side 
to  look  out.  Ivan  the  merchant's  son  pushed  him 
from  the  ship  that  moment.  The  savage  beasts  tore 
him  into  little  bits.  "  Oh,"  cried  Ivan  the  merchant's 
son,  "  Chumichka  has  fallen  off!  " 

"  The  devil  be  with  him,"  said  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea ; 
"  to  a  dog,  a  dog's  death  !  "  They  came  back  to  the 
palace.  "Thou  art  skilful,  Ivan,"  said  the  Tsar; 
"  here  is  a  third  task  for  thee.  Break  my  unridden 
stallion  so  that  he  will  go  under  a  rider.  If  thou 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  265 

wilt  break  him  I  will  give  thee  my  daughter  in  mar- 
riage; if  not,  I  have  a  sword,  and  thy  head  leaves 
thy  shoulders." 

"  Now  that  is  an  easy  task,"  thought  Ivan  the 
merchant's  son.  He  went  away  from  the  Tsar  laugh- 
ing. Vassilissa  the  Cunning  saw  him  and  asked  about 
everything ;  he  told  her. 

"  Thou  art  not  wise,  Ivan,"  said  she ;  "  now  a  diffi- 
cult task  is  given  thee,  —  no  easy  labor.  That  stal- 
lion will  be  the  Tsar  himself:  he  will  carry  thee 
through  the  air  above  the  standing  forest,  below  the 
passing  cloud,  and  scatter  thy  bones  over  the  open 
field.  Go  quickly  to  the  blacksmiths,  order  them  to 
make  for  thee  an  iron  hammer  three  poods  in  weight, 
and  when  thou  art  sitting  on  the  stallion  hold  firmly 
and  beat  him  on  the  head  with  the  iron  hammer." 

Next  day  the  grooms  brought  out  the  unridden 
stallion.  They  were  barely  able  to  hold  him ;  he 
snorted,  rushed,  and  reared.  The  moment  Ivan  sat 
on  him  he  rose  above  the  standing  forest,  below  the 
passing  cloud,  flew  through  the  air  more  swiftly  than 
strong  wind.  The  rider  held  firmly,  beating  him  all 
the  time  on  the  head  with  the  hammer.  The  stallion 
struggled  beyond  his  power,  and  dropped  to  the 
damp  earth.  Ivan  the  merchant's  son  gave  the  stal- 
lion to  the  grooms,  drew  breath  himself,  and  went 
to  the  palace.  The  Tsar  of  the  Sea  met  him  with 
bound  head. 

"  I  have  ridden  the  horse,  your  Majesty." 


266       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Well,  corne  to-morrow  to  choose  thy  bride ;  but 
now  my  head  aches." 

Next  morning  Vassilissa  the  Cunning  said  to  Ivan 
the  merchant's  son,  "There  are  three  sisters  of  us 
with  our  father;  he  will  turn  us  into  mares,  and 
make  thee  select.  Be  careful,  take  notice;  on  my 
bridle  one  of  the  spangles  will  be  dim.  Then  he  will 
let  us  out  as  doves ;  my  sisters  will  pick  buckwheat 
very  quietly,  but  I  will  not,  —  I  will  clap  my  wings. 
The  third  time  he  will  bring  us  out  as  three  maidens, 
one  like  the  other  in  face,  in  stature,  and  hair.  I 
will  shake  my  handkerchief;  by  that  thou  mayest 
know  me." 

The  Tsar  brought  out  the  three  mares,  one  just 
like  the  other,  put  them  in  a  row.  "  Take  the  one 
that  pleases  thee,"  said  the  Tsar. 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  examined  them  carefully. 
He  saw  that  on  one  bridle  a  spangle  had  grown  dim; 
he  caught  that  bridle  and  said,  "  This  is  my  bride." 

"  Thou  hast  taken  a  bad  one ;  thou  mayest  choose 
a  better." 

"  No  use,  this  will  do  for  me." 

"  Choose  a  second  time." 

The  Tsar  let  out  three  doves  just  alike,  and  scat- 
tered buckwheat  before  them.  Ivan  saw  that  one  of 
them  was  shaking  her  wings  all  the  time.  He  caught 
her  by  the  wing  and  said,  "  This  is  my  bride." 

"  Thou  hast  not  taken  the  right  piece ;  thou  wilt 
choke  thyself.  Choose  a  third  time." 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  267 

He  brought  out  three  maidens,  one  like  the  other 
in  face,  in  stature,  and  hair.  Ivan  the  merchant's  son 
saw  that  one  waved  her  handkerchief;  he  seized  her 
by  the  hand,  "  This  is  my  bride." 

There  was  nothing  to  be  done.  The  Tsar  could 
not  help  himself,  gave  Vassilissa  the  Cunning  to 
Ivan,  and  they  had  a  joyous  wedding. 

Not  much  nor  little  time  had  passed  when  Ivan 
thought  of  escaping  to  his  own  country  with  Vassilissa 
the  Cunning.  They  saddled  their  horses  and  rode 
away  in  the  dark  night.  In  the  morning  the  Tsar  dis- 
covered their  flight  and  sent  a  pursuing  party. 

"  Drop  down  to  the  damp  earth,"  said  Vassilissa 
the  Cunning  to  her  husband ;  "  perhaps  thou  wilt 
hear  something." 

He  dropped  to  the  earth,  listened,  and  answered : 
"  I  hear  the  neighing  of  horses." 

Vassilissa  turned  him  into  a  garden,  and  herself 
into  a  head  of  cabbage.  The  pursuers  returned  to 
the  Tsar  empty-handed.  "  Your  Majesty,  there  is 
nothing  to  be  seen  in  the  open  country;  we  saw  only 
a  garden,  and  in  the  garden  a  head  of  cabbage." 

"  Go  on,  bring  me  that  head  of  cabbage ;  that  is 
their  tricks." 

Again  the  pursuers  galloped  on;  again  Ivan 
dropped  down  to  the  damp  earth.  "  I  hear,"  said  he, 
"the  neighing  of  horses."  Vassilissa  the  Cunning 
made  herself  a  well,  and  turned  Ivan  into  a  bright 
falcon ;  the  falcon  was  sitting  on  the  brink,  drinking 


268       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

water.  The  pursuers  came  to  the  well ;  there  was  no 
road  beyond,  and  they  turned  back. 

"  Your  Majesty,  there  is  nothing  to  be  seen  in  the 
open  country;  we  saw  only  a  well,  and  a  bright 
falcon  was  drinking  water  out  of  that  well." 

The  Tsar  himself  galloped  a  long  time  to  over- 
take them. 

"  Drop  down  to  the  damp  earth ;  perhaps  thou 
wilt  hear  something,"  said  Vassilissa  the  Cunning  to 
her  husband. 

"  There  is  a  hammering  and  thundering  greater 
than  before." 

"  That  is  my  father  chasing  us.  I  know  not,  I 
cannot  think  what  to  do." 

Vassilissa  the  Cunning  had  three  things,  —  a  brush, 
a  comb,  and  a  towel.  She  remembered  them,  and 
said :  "  God  is  yet  merciful ;  I  have  still  defence  before 
the  Tsar."  She  threw  the  brush  behind  her:  it 
became  a  great  drowsy  forest ;  a  man  could  not  put 
his  hand  through,  could  not  ride  around  it  in  three 
years.  Behold,  the  Tsar  of  the  Sea  gnawed  and 
gnawed  the  drowsy  forest,  made  a  path  for  himself, 
burst  through  it,  and  was  again  in  pursuit.  He  is 
drawing  near  them,  has  only  to  seize  them  with  his 
hand.  Vassilissa  threw  her  comb  behind,  and  it 
became  such  a  great  lofty  mountain  that  a  man  could 
neither  pass  over  it  nor  go  around  it. 

The  Tsar  of  the  Sea  dug  and  dug  in  the  mountain, 
made  a  path,  and  again  chased  after  them.  Then 


Vassilissa  and  the  Tsar.  269 

Vassilissa  the  Cunning  threw  the  towel  behind  her, 
and  it  became  a  great,  great  sea.  The  Tsar  galloped 
up  to  the  sea,  saw  the  road  was  stopped,  and  turned 
homeward. 

Ivan  the  merchant's  son  was  near  home,  and  said 
to  Vassilissa  the  Cunning:  "  I  will  go  ahead,  tell  my 
father  and  mother  about  thee,  and  do  thou  wait  here." 

"See  to  it,"  said  Vassilissa  the  Cunning,  "when 
thou  art  home,  kiss  all  but  thy  godmother ;  if  thou 
kiss  her  thou  'It  forget  me." 

Ivan  came  home,  kissed  all  in  delight,  kissed  his 
godmother,  and  forgot  Vassilissa.  She  stood  there, 
poor  thing,  on  the  road,  waited  and  waited;  Ivan 
did  not  come  for  her.  She  went  to  the  town  and 
hired  to  do  work  for  an  old  woman. 

Ivan  thought  of  marrying ;  he  found  a  bride,  and 
arranged  a  feast  for  the  whole  world  (mir1). 

Vassilissa  heard  this,  dressed  herself  as  a  beggar,   j 
and  came  to  the  merchant's  house  to  beg  alms.  ' 

"  Wait,"  said  the  merchant's  wife ;  "  I  '11  bake  thee 
a  small  cake  instead  of  cutting  the  big  one." 

"  God  save  thee  for  that,  mother !  "  said  Vassilissa. 

But  the  great  cake  got  burnt,  and  the  small  one 
came  out  nicely.  The  merchant's  wife  gave  Vassilissa 
the  burnt  cake  and  put  the  small  one  on  the  table. 
They  cut  that  cake,  and  immediately  two  pigeons 
flew  out. 

1  Mir  means  in  Russian  the  "  world,"  the  "  universe  ;  "  and 
also  the  "  commune,"  or  village  society. 


270       Russian  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Kiss  me,"  said  the  cock-pigeon  to  the  other. 

"  No,  thou  wilt  forget  me,  as  Ivan  the  merchant's 
son  forgot  Vassilissa  the  Cunning." 

And  the  second  and  the  third  time  he  asked,  "  Kiss 
me." 

"  No,  thou  'It  forget  me,  as  Ivan  the  merchant's  son 
forgot  Vassilissa  the  Cunning." 

Ivan  remembered  then ;  he  knew  who  the  beggar 
was,  and  said  to  his  father  and  mother :  "  This  is  my 
wife." 

"  Well,  if  thou  hast  a  wife,  then  live  with  her." 

They  gave  rich  presents  to  the  new  bride,  and  let 
her  go  home ;  but  Ivan  the  merchant's  son  lived  with 
Vassilissa  the  Cunning,  gained  wealth,  and  shunned 
trouble. 


CHEKH  MYTHS  AND  FOLK-TALES. 


BOYISLAV,  YOUNGEST  OF  TWELVE. 

ONCE  there  was  a  king  who  groaned  many  a  day ; 
doctors  came  from  far  and  near,  but  they  could 
not  cure  him.  At  last  his  condition  was  such  that  one 
day  all  thought  he  must  die.  The  following  night  he 
had  a  marvellous  dream.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
was  on  Black  Island,  had  freed  three  princesses,  and 
straightway  recovered.  When  he  woke  he  felt  a  certain 
relief,  but  had  almost  forgotten  the  dream.  The  next 
night  he  had  the  same  dream,  and  again  on  waking 
felt  easier,  but  did  not  ascribe  the  relief  to  his  dream. 
The  third  night  he  had  no  dream,  but  a  vision,  in  which 
the  three  princesses  appeared  to  him  and  said :  "  Free 
us,  and  thou  wilt  recover;  if  not,  thou  wilt  die." 
Then  they  vanished,  and  the  terrified  king  felt  such 
pain  that  he  could  barely  wait  till  morning.  He  sum- 
moned his  twelve  sons  in  haste,  and  when  he  had 
told  them  of  his  vision  he  said  in  a  sad  voice :  "  But 
how  can  I,  poor  man,  go  on  a  long  journey  to  Black 
Island,  of  which  I  have  never  even  heard?" 

"  I  will  go  instead  of  thee,"  said  Boyislav,  the 
youngest  son,  with  decision. 

"  We  will  all  go,"  said  the  others,  looking  angrily 
at  Boyislav,  whom  they  hated  with  all  their  hearts, 
because  he  was  his  father's  favorite. 

18 


274         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Ye  cannot  all  leave  me ;  and  thou,  Boyislav,  surely 
not,"  said  the  king,  shaking  his  head.  "  Who  would 
there  be  to  reign  in  my  place?" 

"  Let  Boyislav  stay  at  home,"  said  the  eldest; 
"  besides,  he  would  be  merely  a  hindrance  to  us  on 
the  road." 

"la  hindrance !  "  said  Boyislav,  flushing  up  with 
anger  and  pity.  "  Let  me  go,  father;  I  will  free  the 
princesses  alone." 

His  brothers  began  to  laugh  at  him  and  then  to  dis- 
pute as  to  who  should  go  to  Black  Island.  Since  they 
could  not  decide,  the  king  said :  "  I  know  that  ye 
would  all  gladly  serve  me,  but  since  some  of  you 
must  stay  at  home>  I  will  make  six  blank  lots  and 
six  written  ones ;  whoever  draws  a  written  one  will  go, 
whoever  a  blank  will  remain." 

The  princes  were  satisfied  and  drew  lots.  They 
were  angry  when  Boyislav  drew  a  prize,  and  the  king 
was  sad ;  but  he  had  given  his  word  and  could  not 
withdraw  it.  That  very  day  the  princes  set  out  and 
Boyislav  with  them.  While  on  dry  land  they  were 
prosperous ;  it  was  worse  when  they  entered  a  boat 
and  knew  not  whither  to  turn.  Boyislav  said  that  they 
ought  to  go  north,  but  his  brothers  laughed  at  him. 
When  they  had  sailed  many  weeks  in  one  direction 
and  another  without  finding  Black  Island,  they  were 
glad  to  follow  his  advice ;  and  the  third  day  they  ar- 
rived at  the  place,  but  so  terrible  was  it  that  no  one 
dared  to  land  save  Boyislav.  He  took  provisions 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.          275 

and  sprang  on  shore,  telling  his  brothers  to  await  his 
return.  While  light  lasted  he  ran  up  and  down  on 
the  island,  but  saw  nothing  except  black  rocks.  He 
was  forced  to  pass  the  night  on  a  bare  stone,  but 
rose  early,  completely  refreshed  by  sleep,  and  ex- 
amined farther. 

One  day  passed,  and  a  second ;  the  third  day  ap- 
peared, and  still  he  found  nothing.  At  last,  in  the 
evening,  he  came  to  a  large  stone,  which  seemed  to 
him  hewn  out  by  men's  hands.  He  lifted  with  all 
his  might,  turned  it  over,  and  found  a  great  dark 
opening,  from  which  a  pleasant  odor  arose.  He  went 
down  without  delay,  and  soon  found  himself  in  a 
glorious  garden,  in  which  were  three  golden  castles 
at  a  great  distance.  He  gazed  with  astonishment; 
though  there  were  things  there  without  number  such 
as  he  had  never  seen  before,  still  his  attention  was 
attracted  first  by  three  horses,  which  rushed  around 
him  three  times  in  a  wild  gallop,  and  then  vanished 
in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye.  Boyislav  looked  after 
them,  and  heard  a  voice  saying :  "  I  welcome  thee, 
Boyislav,  youngest  of  twelve  !  " 

He  looked  on  every  side,  but  could  see  no  one. 
The  voice  cried  out  the  second  time :  "I  welcome 
thee,  Boyislav,  youngest  of  twelve  !  " 

Now  he  knew  where  the  voice  came  from;  but 
though  he  went  in  that  direction  and  examined  every- 
thing very  carefully,  he  could  see  no  one.  Only  after 
the  voice  had  called  much  louder  than  the  first  and 


276         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

second  time,  "  I  welcome  thee,  Boyislav,  youngest  of 
twelve !  "  did  he  see  behind  a  rock  a  famished  little 
horse,  so  poor  that  he  could  count  all  its  ribs. 

"What  dost  thou  want  of  me?"  asked  Boyislav, 
not  a  little  astonished  that  the  horse  knew  him. 

"  'T  is  thy  wish  to  free  the  three  princesses,"  an- 
swered the  horse ;  "  then  listen  to  what  I  advise :  In 
the  first  castle  thou  wilt  find  the  first  princess,  who 
will  greet  thee  with  kindness  beyond  measure,  and 
offer  thee  food  and  drink.  Eat  with  relish,  but  let 
not  the  princess  eat  with  thee  or  kiss  thee.  Take 
what  is  left  of  the  food  when  thou  hast  eaten,  and  go 
to  the  second  castle ;  there  the  second  princess  will 
greet  thee  with  still  greater  kindness,  and  offer  food 
and  drink.  Eat  with  relish,  but  for  no  reason  let  her 
eat  with  thee  or  kiss  thee.  Take  what  is  left  after 
eating,  and  go  to  the  third  castle,  where  the  third 
princess  will  give  thee  the  most  kindly  reception  of 
all,  and  place  food  and  drink  before  thee ;  eat  freely, 
but  let  not  the  princess  eat  with  thee  or  kiss  thee. 
Take  what  is  left,  and  come  here  to  me." 

"Is  nothing  more  needed  to  gain  their  freedom?" 
asked  Boyislav. 

"  Nothing,"  answered  the  horse ;  "  but  thou  must 
not  speak  a  word  all  this  time." 

"  That  is  very  easy,"  thought  Boyislav. 

But  the  horse  said  with  great  emphasis :  "  Have  a 
care  ;  for  to  thee  't  is  a  question  of  life  or  death." 

Boyislav  went  with  quick  step  to  the'  first  castle, 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.          277 

where  a  princess  of  wonderful  beauty  ran  forth  to- 
ward him.  "  I  welcome  thee,  Boyislav,  youngest  of 
twelve  !  "  cried  she,  with  glad  voice.  "  How  art  thou 
here?  Come  to  my  chamber ;  let  me  give  thee  good 
cheer.  What  is  thy  father  doing?  How  are  thy 
brothers?  " 

Then  she  took  his  hand  and  seated  him  at  the 
table,  to  which  she  brought  the  most  savory  food  and 
drink,  continually  speaking  of  his  home.  But  he 
gave  no  regard;  and  when  she  wished  to  eat  with 
him,  he  thrust  her  aside  without  mercy.  Then  he 
seized  what  was  left  of  the  food  and  hurried  away. 
The  princess  gave  him  the  sweetest  of  names,  and 
stretched  her  hands  toward  him,  but  he  acted  as  if 
he  neither  saw  her  nor  heard  her. 

At  the  second  castle  a  still  more  beautiful  princess 
ran  toward  him,  greeted  him  with  still  greater  glad- 
ness, led  him  into  a  chamber,  seated  him  at  a  table, 
and  brought  the  most  savory  food  and  drink,  talking 
continually.  She  moved  toward  him,  wishing  to  kiss 
him ;  but  he  thrust  her  aside  very  rudely,  so  that  she 
fell  to  the  floor.  Before  she  could  rise  he  had  taken 
what  was  left  of  the  food,  and  was  gone. 

He  had  barely  reached  the  third  castle  when  a 
princess  ran  out  to  meet  him.  She  was  far  more 
beautiful  than  the  other  two,  and  wished  to  fall  on 
his  neck  straightway.  He  was  amazed  at  her  beauty ; 
but  keeping  in  mind  the  words  of  the  horse,  he  thrust 
her  away.  But  still  she  led  him  into  the  castle,  seated 


278         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

him  at  a  table  in  the  loftiest  chamber,  and  entertained 
him  with  the  best  food  and  drink.  Boyislav  ate  and 
drank  heartily,  but  when  the  princess  wished  to  eat, 
he  pushed  her  aside  so  rudely  that,  after  staggering  a 
few  steps,  she  fell  to  the  floor.  Then,  quickly  gath- 
ering the  remnants  of  food,  he  ran  off,  though  the 
princess  called  him  with  heart-rending  voice. 

When  he  came  to  the  horse  he  spread  on  the 
rock  the  remnants  of  food,  which  the  horse  devoured 
eagerly.  "  What  now?  "  asked  Boyislav. 

"  Go  for  the  three  princesses,  and  bring  them  to 
thy  brothers  in  the  boat ;  they  are  free,  for  they  are 
the  horses  which  thou  hast  seen  running  around  thee. 
A  wicked  sorceress  enchanted  them,  so  that  twelve 
hours  they  were  horses  and  twelve  hours  princesses. 
Then  come  for  me,  or  thou  wilt  suffer." 

Boyislav  did  as  the  horse  desired,  and  brought  to 
his  brothers  the  three  princesses,  who,  with  tearful 
eyes,  thanked  him  for  their  liberation.  Then  he  re- 
turned to  the  horse,  which  said,  with  sad  voice: 
"  Too  bad  !  too  bad  !  " 

"  What  has  happened?"  asked  Boyislav. 

"  Thou  art  unfortunate,"  answered  the  horse ;  "  thy 
departure  from  home  was  unfortunate,  for  know  that 
thy  brothers  have  gone." 

"  Then  I  must  perish  here  !  "  cried  Boyislav. 

"  Now  thou  wilt  not  perish ;  but  hadst  thou  gone 
on  the  boat  thy  death  would  be  sure,  for  thy  brothers 
had  conspired  to  kill  thee." 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.          279 

"  Oh,  the  thankless  wretches !  "  cried  Boyislav. 
"What  shall  I  do  now?" 

"  If  thou  wilt  obey  me,"  said  the  horse,  "  thou  wilt 
gain  thy  object  in  time.  Go  now  to  the  garden  of 
the  first  castle,  and  pluck  four  golden  apples,  but 
only  four." 

Boyislav  went,  and  for  the  first  time  noticed  the 
beauty  of  the  whole  garden ;  he  went  back  and  forth, 
and  would  have  soon  forgotten  the  apples  had  he  not 
heard  the  neighing  of  the  horse.  Now  he  saw  the 
tree  with  golden  apples,  and  plucked  four.  Since 
they  were  so  beautiful,  he  wanted  more,  but  the 
horse  neighed  so  fiercely  that  the  whole  castle  trem- 
bled; his  arm,  which  was  stretched  to  the  apples, 
dropped  of  itself,  and  he  returned  to  the  horse, 
which  said,  "  Now  sit  on  me." 

Boyislav  did  so,  and  the  horse  bore  him  soon  to 
the  shore  of  the  sea,  and  said,  "  Throw  an  apple  in 
the  sea." 

"  But  it  is  a  pity  to  lose  it !  "  said  Boyislav. 

"  Throw  it  in  ! "  repeated  the  horse,  with  stern 
voice;  and  Boyislav  obeyed.  That  moment  a  road 
five  hundred  miles  long  rose  out  of  the  sea.  The 
horse  stepped  on  the  road,  and  hurried  along  night 
and  day.  When  the  domes  of  a  great  city  were  seen 
in  the  distance,  he  said  to  Boyislav :  "  Now  we  are 
going  to  Red  Island,  to  a  king  who  has  a  very  ugly 
daughter;  but  have  no  fear  in  the  world  of  her. 
When  she  casts  eyes  on  thee,  say  that  thou  art 


280         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

seeking  a  bride,  but  before  choosing  thou  must  con- 
sult thy  father.  Then  the  king  will  offer  thee  a 
present;  take  nothing  but  a  piece  of  rope  for  my 
bridle." 

Boyislav  promised  obedience.  When  they  came 
to  Red  Island,  the  road  sank  in  the  sea,  and  the  horse 
hurried  on.  Boyislav  left  him  on  the  meadow  out- 
side the  city,  and  went  straight  to  the  king's  castle, 
where  he  was  courteously  received.  "  Where  art  thou 
going,  noble  prince?"  asked  the  king. 

"  In  search  of  a  bride,"  answered  Boyislav ;  and  the 
king  led  him  to  his  daughter.  She  was  so  ugly  that 
Boyislav  was  frightened. 

"  Does  she  not  please  thee?  "  asked  the  king. 

"Oh,  she  pleases  me,"  said  Boyislav,  —  "pleases 
^me  greatly;  but  first  I  must  talk  with  my  father." 
The  king  smiled,  and  led  his  guest  to  the  supper- 
chamber,  where  he  was  entertained  in  king's  fashion. 
Boyislav  wished  to  go  very  soon,  but  the  king  took 
him  first  to  his  treasury,  and  offered  him  much  gold 
and  silver. 

"  Thanks  to  thy  Grace  !  "  answered  Boyislav.  "  My 
father  has  great  treasures  also ;  but  if  thou  wilt  make 
me  some  present,  give  me  a  piece  of  rope  to  repair 
my  horse's  bridle." 

"  Oh,  I  will  give  thee  a  splendid  bridle  and  saddle  !  " 
said  the  king. 

But  Boyislav  answered:  •'  I  wish  no  rich  outfit  on 
the  road ;  it  is  an  enticement  to  robbers." 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.          281 

The  king  tried  to  persuade  him,  but  could  not; 
then  he  had  a  rope  brought  which  was  very  slender, 
but  very  long,  so  that  Boyislav  was  hardly  able  to 
bear  it  away.  After  a  kindly  farewell  to  the  king  and 
the  princess,  he  hastened  outside  the  town,  where  the 
horse  called  from  a  distance:  "  Thou  hast  done  well; 
now  wind  that  rope  round  my  body." 

Boyislav  opened  the  bundle,  and  a  whole  hour 
passed  before  he  could  wind  the  rope  around  the 
horse.  When  he  had  finished,  they  hurried  to  the 
sea,  where  the  horse  said,  "  Throw  a  second  apple 
in  the  sea." 

"  But  it  would  be  an  eternal  pity !  "  said  Boyislav. 

"  I  tell  thee  to  throw  the  second  apple  in  the 
sea !  "  repeated  the  horse,  with  stern  voice.  Boyislav 
obeyed.  That  moment  five  hundred  miles  of  road 
rose  from  the  waves  of  the  sea,  along  which  the 
horse  rushed  like  the  wind,  night  and  day.  When 
the  domes  of  a  great  city  were  visible  in  the  distance, 
he  said  to  Boyislav :  "  Now  we  are  coming  to  Green 
Island,  ruled  by  a  king  who  has  a  daughter,  not 
beautiful  and  not  ugly;  thou  wilt  say  that  thou  art 
looking  for  a  bride,  but  before  choosing  thou  must 
consult  thy  father.  When  thou  art  taking  leave,  the 
king  will  offer  all  kinds  of  jewels  as  a  gift;  accept 
nothing,  but  ask  for  the  cloth  of  the  table  from  which 
thou  hast  eaten." 

Boyislav  promised  this.  When  they  had  come  to 
Green  Island,  the  road  sank  in  the  sea,  and  the  horse 


282         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

hurried  toward  the  city.  The  horse  remained  in  a 
meadow  outside  the  gates.  Boyislav  went  to  the 
palace,  where  he  was  welcomed  by  the  king,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  princess. 

"What  brought  thee  to  me?"  asked  the  king. 

"  I  am  in  search  of  a  bride,"  answered  Boyislav, 
looking  at  the  princess,  who  seemed  pleased  at  his 
words. 

"And  hast  thou  found  one?  "  asked  the  king. 

"  Not  yet,"  replied  Boyislav. 

"Does  my  daughter  not  please  thee?"  The 
princess  blushed. 

"  Oh,  she  pleases  me  greatly,"  said  Boyislav,  "  but 
first  I  must  talk  with  my  father." 

The  king  frowned  at  these  words,  and  the  princess 
was  flushed  with  anger;  but  Boyislav  changed  not, 
and  was  so  courteous  that  the  king  grew  ashamed, 
and  conducted  him  to  the  supper-chamber,  where 
there  was  a  small  table  covered  with  a  poor-looking 
cloth,  but  upon  which  stood  the  choicest  food  and 
drink.  Boyislav  ate  with  relish.  When  he  had  finished, 
the  king  took  him  to  his  treasure-chamber,  where  he 
offered  him  the  richest  presents ;  but  Boyislav  said  : 
"  My  father  has  many  treasures,  and  I  prefer  to  travel 
unburdened."  When  the  king  insisted  on  his  taking 
something  as  a  keepsake,  even  if  of  the  smallest  value, 
Boyislav  said :  "  Give  me  the  cloth  of  the  table  on 
which  I  was  entertained  by  thee." 

"  Oh,  I  should  be  ashamed  to  give  such  a  thing," 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.         283 

said  the  king.  "  I  will  give  thee  another  very  skil- 
fully woven." 

"  I  want  no  other,"  answered  Boyislav,  making 
ready  to  go. 

"  Then  take  it,"  said  the  king,  giving  the  cloth  with 
evident  reluctance. 

Boyislav  parted  with  him  and  the  princess,  and 
hastened  to  the  horse,  which  called  out  from  afar: 
"  Thou  hast  done  well ;  now  sit  on  my  back,  we  '11 
fare  farther."  Boyislav  sprang  on  the  horse,  and  he 
raced  over  Green  Island  till  he  came  to  the  sea. 

"  Throw  the  third  apple  in  the  sea,"  said  the  horse. 

"  But  't  is  a  pity  forever  to  lose  it,"  said  Boyislav. 

"  Throw  the  third  apple  in  the  sea,  I  say,"  com- 
manded the  horse,  sternly  ;  and  Boyislav  obeyed. 

That  moment  a  road  five  hundred  miles  long  rose 
from  the  waves  of  the  sea.  The  horse  ran  like  a  flash, 
day  and  night,  till  they  saw  in  the  distance  the  domes 
of  a  great  city. 

"  Now  we  are  nearing  White  Island,"  said  the  horse, 
"  where  a  king  reigns  who  has  .the  most  beautiful 
daughter  under  the  sun.  All  the  people  on  the  island 
are  asleep ;  for  in  the  king's  palace  a  taper  is  burning 
which  never  burns  out,  and  till  some  one  quenches  it 
they  must  all  sleep.  Go  to  the  palace,  look  at  the 
princess  as  much  as  may  please  thee,  then  take  the 
taper,  but  be  careful  that  it  does  not  go  out  on  a  sud- 
den; if  it  is  quenched,  run  to  me  with  all  speed  or 
thou  wilt  have  trouble." 


284         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Boyislav  promised  to  obey  faithfully.  When  they 
came  to  White  Island  the  road  sank  in  the  sea.  Boy- 
islav, leaving  his  horse  before  the  gates  of  the  city, 
hastened  to  the  palace.  The  most  luxuriant  trees 
were  growing  all  over  the  island,  and  beautiful  flow- 
ers were  in  bloom ;  the  city  was  splendid,  the  palace 
of  silver  and  gold,  but  nowhere  was  a  living  creature 
to  be  seen.  Boyislav  moved  on  carefully  through 
the  empty  streets  as  if  afraid  of  waking  some  person. 
When  he  entered  the  palace  he  was  amazed  at  its 
matchless  beauty,  but  all  was  as  nothing  in  compar- 
ison with  the  beauty  of  the  princess  who  was  sleeping 
on  a  dark  purple  couch  in  the  last  chamber.  She 
was  clothed  in  a  light  garment,  white  as  new-fallen 
snow,  her  dark  hair  fell  on  her  white,  slightly  moving 
bosom,  her  lips  were  half  open,  her  teeth  shone  like 
pearls,  and  her  whole  figure  was  so  full  of  charm  that 
Boyislav  held  his  breath.  Witty  head  inclined,  with 
crossed  hands,  he  looked  at  her  long,  —  forgot  the 
horse,  the  taper,  and  the  whole  world,  not  thinking 
whether  he  was  living ;  he  only  felt  that  the  princess 
was  beautiful.  When  he  had  waited  a  long  time  he 
remembered  the  taper,  looked  around  the  room,  saw 
it  on  the  table,  and  saw  on  two  couches  the  king  and 
queen.  He  stepped  quickly  to  the  table  to  quench 
the  taper  and  rouse  the  princess,  when  all  at  once  he 
heard  the  horse  neigh  so  fiercely  that  the  palace 
trembled  to  its  foundation ;  his  hand  dropped  of  it- 
self, and  he  muttered :  "  Thanks  to  thee,  oh  horse ! 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.         285 

Had  I  quenched  the  taper  all  would  have  risen,  and 
who  knows  what  might  have  come  to  me?  " 

He  took  the  taper  quickly  and  turned  away,  but 
when  passing  through  the  door  he  could  not  refrain 
from  looking  at  the  princess  again ;  she  seemed  still 
more  beautiful.  He  put  the  taper  on  the  table,  knelt 
and  kissed  her  hand ;  with  that  her  face  became  ruddy 
as  a  rose,  and  around  her  mouth  appeared  a  smile.  He 
sprang  up ;  and  as  dark  night  had  come,  he  thought 
of  his  return,  seized  the  taper  quickly,  looked  at  the 
princess,  wrote  on  the  table,  "  Boyislav,  youngest  of 
twelve,"  and  went  from  the  palace,  taking  care  that 
the  taper  should  not  be  quenched.  He  reached  the 
gate  of  the  city,  but  there  the  taper  was  blown  out  by 
the  wind.  That  moment  was  heard  in  the  city  a 
shout,  which  grew  louder  the  longer  it  lasted ;  but  the 
trusty  steed  appeared  and  bore  him  in  a  flash  to  the 
shore  of  the  sea. 

"  Throw  in  the  last  apple,"  said  the  horse. 

Boyislav  obeyed  without  a  murmur.  That  moment 
there  rose  from  the  waves  a  road  which  reached  to 
firm  land,  and  as  dawn  was  appearing  they  came  to 
the  shore.  Then  the  road  sank  in  the  sea. 

"Now  come  down,"  said  the  horse;  "  let  me  rest, 
and  do  thou  rest,  too." 

The  horse  went  to  the  green  meadow,  and  Boyislav 
lay  on  the  grass  and  mused  on  the  princess  of  White 
Island.  Since  he  was  wearied  greatly,  he  fell  asleep, 
but  thought  of  the  princess  so  that  he  sighedxfrom 


286         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

sorrow  when  the  horse  roused  him  and  said,  "  Let 
us  go." 

Boyislav  mounted  in  silence.  They  travelled  till 
they  saw  the  domes  of  a  great  city.  "  What  city  is 
this  ?  "  inquired  Boyislav. 

"  Seest  not,"  asked  the  horse,  "  that  is  thy  birth- 
place?" 

"  Sure  enough !  Go  quickly,  dear  horse,  that  I 
may  embrace  my  father." 

"  Hurry  not,"  said  the  horse ;  "  for  it  would  be 
better  for  thee  not  to  go." 

"Why?"  asked  Boyislav  with  wonder. 

"  Because  thy  father  has  uttered  sentence  of  death 
against  thee." 

"  I  do  not  believe  that,"  replied  Boyislav,  shaking 
his  head;  and  the  horse  was  silent. 

Boyislav's  heart  beat  with  joy  when  he  entered  the 
gates  of  his  native  place,  but  his  joy  was  short-lived. 
He  had  scarcely  passed  one  street  when  people  be- 
gan to  gather  around  him,  till  at  last  an  officer  of 
the  king's  army  seized  the  bridle  of  his  horse,  and 
ordered  the  people  who  were  standing  around  to 
seize  his  arms.  All  rushed  like  hungry  birds  of 
prey  on  the  terrified  Boyislav. 

"  What  art  thou  doing !  "  cried  he,  when  at  length 
he  recovered  himself.  "  Do  ye  not  know  that  I  am 
your  prince?" 

"  Prince  or  not,"  cried  all,  "  we  know  thee  well 
enough  to  know  that  to-morrow  thou  wilt  dance  in 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.         287 

the  air."  They  took  the  unfortunate  Boyislav  to  the 
castle,  where,  by  command  of  the  king,  he  was  cast 
into  a  dark  dungeon,  and  his  horse,  which  they  all 
laughed  at,  was  shut  up  in  a  pen.  The  officer  who 
brought  Boyislav  to  the  palace  got  a  great  reward, 
and  went  in  high  glee  to  the  nearest  inn  to  drink  with 
his  comrades. 

Why  was  the  king  enraged  with  his  favorite  son? 
Because  shameless  lies  had  been  told  by  his  other 
sons.  When  Boyislav  brought  the  three  princesses 
of  Black  Island  to  the  boat  and  returned  for  his 
horse,  his  brothers  weighed  anchor  at  once  and  sailed 
off.  On  the  way  they  forced  the  unfortunate  prin- 
cesses to  promise  on  oath  to  tell  the  king  that  they 
were  the  liberators,  and  to  say  that  Boyislav  on  Black 
Island  had  attached  himself  to  a  worthless  woman, 
and  made  sport  of  his  old  father. 

Meanwhile  they  agreed  to  cast  lots  for  the  prin- 
cesses. When  the  brothers  declared  their  wish,  the 
princesses  said  that  they  would  not  break  their  oaths, 
but  could  never  be  the  wives  of  such  men.  The 
brothers  paid  small  heed  to  this,  for  their  hearts 
were  hard.  They  were  satisfied  with  having  got  rid 
of  Boyislav.  They  ordered  the  oarsmen  to  press  on. 
As  a  favorable  wind  blew  without  stopping,  they  soon 
arrived  safely  on  firm  land,  where  they  hired  horses 
and  hurried  to  their  native  place. 

The  king,  who  had  recovered  as  soon  as  the  prin- 
cesses on  Black  Island  were  freed,  welcomed  his  sons 


288         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

and  the  princesses  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  But  how 
he  flushed  up  with  anger  when  they  told  the  story  to 
which  they  had  been  forced  by  oath !  He  ordered 
the  death  of  Boyislav  at  once,  and  offered  a  great 
reward  for  his  capture.  The  wicked  brothers  rubbed 
their  hands  with  glee,  but  the  princesses  withdrew  to 
the  chambers  given  them  by  the  king,  and  passed 
their  time  in  silent  grief. 

The  king  was  astonished  at  this,  and  wished  to 
know  what  prince  they  loved;  he  would  give  his 
blessing  at  once,  and  the  proper  income.  But  the 
princesses  only  shook  their  heads,  and  the  king  asked 
his  sons  the  reason  of  the  princesses'  sorrow.  The 
young  men  evaded  the  question,  saying  that  perhaps 
the  princesses  were  homesick.  At  last  they  led  the 
conversation  to  Boyislav.  The  king  flushed  up  with 
anger,  which  was  all  his  sons  wanted,  so  as  to  avoid 
speaking  of  the  princesses  of  Black  Island,  for  they 
knew  nothing  about  them. 

And  now,  when  Boyislav  was  in  prison,  they  contin- 
ued to  excite  the  king  to  give  an  order  forbidding 
any  one  to  ask  mercy  for  him  under  pain  of  death. 
"Why  should  I  endanger  my  life?"  thought  every 
one ;  "  the  king  of  course  knows  why  he  puts  his  son 
to  death."  Many  pitied  the  prince,  but  only  one  man 
shed  tears.  He  was  an  old  warrior  who  had  once 
commanded  the  king's  armies,  and  was  retained  as  a 
friend  of  the  king;  he  did  not  believe  that  Boyislav 
deserved  death,  and  resolved  to  ask  pardon  for  him. 


Boyislav^   Youngest  of  Twelve.         289 

"  Well,"  thought  he,  "  I  shall  not  live  till  spring,  and 
it  is  all  the  same  whether  I  die  a  day  earlier  or  later. 
I  have  been  in  danger  of  death  times  without  number 
and  have  never  been  even  wounded ;  perhaps  I  shall 
escape  now." 

He  went  bravely  to  the  king,  who  greeted  him  very 
kindly,  as  was  his  wont.  "What  dost  thou  wish?" 
asked  he  of  the  old  man,  who  was  silent. 

"  I  ask  mercy  for  Boyislav,"  said  he. 

"How  darest  thou  slight  my  order? "asked  the 
king,  angrily.  "Knowest  not  thou  art  doomed  to 
death?  " 

"I  know,"  answered  the  old  man  with  dignity; 
"  but  I  fear  not  death.  I  mean  to  say  that  thou  art 
disgracing  thyself  by  giving  thy  own  blood  to  the 
hangman." 

The  king  was  struck  with  these  words,  and  walked 
up  and  down  the  room  with  bowed  head. 

"  Who  knows  whether  Boyislav  is  really  guilty  or 
not?"  said  the  old  man,  "for  the  conduct  of  the 
princesses  from  Black  Island  is  strange." 

"  Thou  art  right,  and  I  will  not  give  him  to  the 
hangman ;  but  still  he  must  die.  I  shall  have  him 
confined  with  the  lions.  Let  them  tear  him." 

The  old  man  made  further  effort,  but  the  king 
would  not  be  persuaded.  When  night  came  Boyislav 
was  taken  secretly  from  prison  and  shut  in  with  the 
lions.  But  the  brothers  were  not  satisfied  yet  ;  they 
told  the  king  that  Boyislav  could  easily  escape,  and 

19 


290         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

advised  him  to  wall  up  the  doors.  The  king  con- 
sented, and  the  next  day  the  doors  were  walled  up, 
there  remaining  only  a  small  opening  on  the  other 
side.  This  was  fortunate,  for  otherwise  Boyislav  must 
have  perished  for  want  of  air.  He  looked  at  the 
lions  without  fear;  they  did  not  harm  him.  Then  he 
took  out  the  taper  and  the  tablecloth,  which  he  kept 
in  his  bosom,  lighted  the  taper,  laid  the  cloth  on  the 
ground,  and  asked  for  the  choicest  food ;  it  appeared. 
He  fed  the  lions  first,  then  ate  and  drank  himself. 
The  lions  lay  at  his  feet  in  thankfulness ;  he  lay  on 
them  and  fell  asleep.  When  awake  he  played  with  the 
lions,  —  who  in  a  few  days  were  tame,  —  or  thought 
of  the  princess  on  White  Island.  In  this  way  his 
days  passed  quickly,  and  before  he  knew  it  a  whole 
year  had  gone. 

Meanwhile  the  princess  of  White  Island  travelled 
over  the  world  with  an  army  in  search  of  her  lib- 
erator; she  had  already  visited  many  kings,  but  in 
no  royal  family  had  she  found  twelve  sons.  At  last 
she  came  to  the  dominions  of  the  old  king  and 
learned  that  he  had  twelve  sons.  Her  heart  jumped 
for  joy,  and  she  marched  night  and  day  till  she 
appeared  before  the  capital.  Straightway  she  sent 
messengers  to  the  king,  asking  him  to  send  her  that 
prince  who  had  freed  her  and  her  whole  kingdom. 

The  king  called  the  five  princes  who  went  with 
Boyislav,  and  asked  if  they  had  been  on  White 
Island. 


Boyislav,   Youngest  of  Twelve.         291 

"  Of  course  !  "  answered  the  truthless  princes ;  and 
the  eldest  one  shamelessly  added  that  he  had  freed 
its  princess. 

"  Then  hurry  to  her,"  said  the  king.     He  went. 

" Where  is  the  taper?"  asked  the  princess  when 
he  came ;  but  he  knew  nothing  of  it.  Thereupon  the 
princess  became  so  angry  that  she  drew  her  sword 
and  cut  off  his  head  with  a  blow. 

Again  she  sent  the  messenger  with  the  announce- 
ment that  if  her  liberator  were  not  sent,  she  would 
turn  the  city  into  dust  and  ashes. 

"  I  freed  her,"  said  the  second  prince  to  the  fright- 
ened king. 

"  Then  go  to  her." 

When  she  asked  the  second  prince  about  the  taper, 
he  could  give  no  answer,  and  lost  his  life.  The  mes- 
senger returned  to  the  king,  and  told  him  what  had 
happened  to  the  two  princes;  the  three  remaining 
ones  were  so  terrified  that  they  confessed  the  truth. 

The  old  man,  Boyislav's  savior,  now  said  to  the  king, 
"  I  told  thee  Boyislav  was  innocent ;  thou  wouldst  not 
believe  me.  Now  see  how  thou  hast  saved  thy  city 
from  destruction,  for  the  princess  will  surely  carry 
out  her  threat  unless  Boyislav  is  delivered  up." 

"  But  how  can  I  deliver  him  up  when  he  is  dead?  " 
asked  the  king. 

"  He  is  not  dead,"  replied  the  old  man,  joyfully, 
"  for  there  is  still  a  little  opening  in  the  lions'  den, 
and  there  is  light  there  night  and  day." 


2 92         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  king  sprang  up  joyfully,  hastened  to  the  den, 
and  had  the  walled-up  doors  opened.  Boyislav 
looked  on  this  carelessly;  and  when  the  king  im- 
plored him  with  tenderness  to  come  out,  that  he 
forgave  him  all,  he  shook  his  head  saying:  "I  will 
not  go,  it  is  good  enough  for  me  here." 

"  But  the  princess  will  destroy  my  city,"  said  the 
king. 

"  What  princess?  "  asked  Boyislav  with  curiosity. 

"  The  princess  from  White  Island." 

In  silence,  but  with  gladness  in  his  eyes,  Boyislav 
quenched  the  taper,  folded  the  tablecloth,  and  tak- 
ing both  with  him  walked  out.  When  he  went  with 
the  messenger  to  the  princess,  his  heart  beat  with 
anxiety  so  that  he  could  not  raise  his  eyes  when  he 
stood  before  her. 

"  Thou  art  the  man  !  "  exclaimed  the  princess,  joy- 
fully. But  when  Boyislav  knew  not  what  to  answer, 
she  said  reproachfully :  "  Has  the  ardor  with  which 
thou  didst  kiss  me  grown  cold?" 

"  It  has  not,"  murmured  Boyislav,  wishing  to  kiss 
the  golden  hem  of  her  robe. 

The  princess  raised  him  up,  and  kissing  him,  said : 
"  This  is  the  earnest  of  our  betrothal." 

Boyislav  was  glad  to  respond;  and  now  all  re- 
turned to  the  castle,  where  feasting  began,  which  was 
to  be  closed  by  the  wedding  of  the  princess  and 
Boyislav.  All  were  rejoiced  except  the  princesses 
of  Black  Island,  who  were  as  sad  as  ever.  The  three 


Boyislav^   Youngest  of  Twelve.         293 

princes  who  had  gone  to  Black  Island  were  in  deathly 
terror.  Boyislav  in  the  middle  of  the  feast  grew  sad, 
and  when  asked  the  reason,  he  inquired :  "  Where  is 
my  trusty  horse?" 

No  one  could  answer  him,  till  at  last  one  of  the 
servants  remembered  that  the  horse  had  been  shut 
up  in  a  pen.  To  the  great  astonishment  of  all, 
Boyislav  ran  out  to  him,  fell  upon  his  neck,  and 
shed  tears  of  joy. 

"  Thou  hast  done  well  to  come,"  said  the  horse, 
sadly,  "  or  I  should  have  perished  with  hunger ;  for 
the  cord  brought  from  Red  Island  is  eaten.  Every 
span  of  it  became  a  bundle  of  hay.  But  now  thou 
hast  attained  thy  object,  and  I  am  needed  no  longer; 
cut  off  my  head." 

"  I  cut  off  thy  head  !  "  exclaimed  Boyislav. 

"  Then  thou  dost  not  wish  to  free  me,"  said  the 
horse,  with  chiding  voice. 

Boyislav  drew  his  sword  and  cut  off  the  horse's 
head  at  one  blow.  The  horse  disappeared  in  an  in- 
stant, but  in  his  stead  appeared  a  beautiful  prince, 
who  fell  on  Boyislav's  neck  and  shed  tears  of  joy. 

"What  is  this?"  asked  Boyislav,  full  of  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Come  to  supper,"  said  the  prince ;  "  I  will  ex- 
plain it  all."  Both  hurried  to  supper;  scarcely  were 
they  at  the  door,  when  the  youngest  princess  from 
Black  Island  fell  into  his  arms,  and  the  other  two 
pressed  his  hands.  When  they  had  recovered  from 


294         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

the  first  surprise,  the  prince  said :  "  I  am  the  only 
son  of  a  powerful  king,  whose  dominions  are  not 
far  from  Black  Island.  I  would  not  marry  the 
daughter  of  a  queen  who  was  a  witch,  and  she  en- 
chanted me;  and  the  princesses  of  Black  Island  — 
the  youngest  of  whom  is  my  bride  —  were  turned  into 
horses  twelve  hours  of  each  day.  Boyislav  freed  the 
princesses  first,  and  now  has  freed  me.  The  moment 
I  regained  my  form,  the  spell  was  removed  from 
Black  Island." 

All  were  delighted  with  Boyislav ;  but  the  king  was 
thoughtful,  and  seemed  to  ponder  over  important 
things.  At  last  he  summoned  the  three  princes  who 
went  with  Boyislav  to  Black  Island,  and  gave  com- 
mand to  throw  them  to  the  lions ;  the  lions  tore  them 
to  pieces  in  an  instant. 

Now  came  new  festivities;  and  when  all  was  fin- 
ished, Boyislav  went  with  his  wife  to  White  Island ; 
and  the  liberated  prince,  with  his  wife  and  sisters, 
went  to  Black  Island,  where  they  celebrated  at  once 
their  wedding  and  their  liberation. 


THE  TABLE,  THE  PACK,  AND  THE  BAG. 

BEFORE  times  long  past,  there  lived  in  a  little 
cottage  an  old  father,  with  his  three  sons.    The 
eldest  son  was  called  Martin ;  the  second,  Mihal ;   and 
the  third,  Yanek. 

"  Martin,"  the  father  used  to  say  often,  as  they 
were  sitting  in  the  evening  at  a  bowl  of  skimmed 
milk,  "  I  shall  not  be  long  alive ;  I  feel  it  in  my  body. 
When  I  die,  the  cottage  will  come  to  thee;  but  do 
not  cheat  thy  old  mother  and  thy  brothers." 

Martin  always  promised ;  but  while  the  others  were 
listening  to  their  father,  he  looked  sharply  at  the 
food,  and  picked  out  every  piece  of  bread  from  the 
milk.  Mihal  saw  this  with  astonishment ;  but  Yanek 
was  always  grieved  from  his  father's  talk,  and  did  not 
even  think  of  eating. 

The  father  spoke  the  truth.  In  no  long  time  he 
groaned  his  last;  but  when  he  saw  his  death-hour,  he 
had  all  summoned  for  the  parting.  He  reminded 
Martin  again  that  he  was  never  to  let  the  cottage  go 
out  of  his  possession;  and  then  turning  to  Yanek, 
whom  he  loved  most,  he  said :  "  Yanichek,  thou  art 
simple,  't  is  true ;  but  what  the  Lord  has  kept  from 
thee  in  wit,  he  has  added  in  heart.  Only  be  ever 


296         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

as  kind  as  thou  hast  been,  and  obey  thy  brothers ; " 
with  that  he  coughed,  and  was  no  more. 

Martin  and  Mihal  gave  themselves  up  to  lamenta- 
tion, but  Yanek  was  silent ;  he  stood  by  his  father's 
bedside  as  if  without  sense.  Only  after  a  long  time 
did  he  go  out,  sit  in  the  garden  under  a  tree,  and  cry 
like  a  little  child. 

After  the  funeral,  Martin  and  Mihal  decided  to  go 
out  in  the  world,  and  leave  Yanek  with  his  mother. 
"  The  world  is  wide,"  said  they;  "  there  fortune  may 
meet  us  quickly,  while  in  this  little  cottage  we  should 
never  come  to  anything  as  long  as  we  lived." 

It  was  all  one  to  Yanek ;  but  his  mother  who  was 
still  in  good  strength,  did  not  like  to  have  Yanek  lose 
his  fortune,  and  talked  with  his  brothers  so  long  that 
they  took  him  with  them.  This  was  not  agreeable  to 
Martin  and  Mihal,  but  they  reverenced  their  mother, 
and  obeyed  her. 

All  three  made  ready;  Martin  and  Mihal  put 
food  in  bags  for  themselves,  and  went  out  into  the 
world.  On  the  road  Yanek  said  to  his  brothers, 
"  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  if  that  fortune  meets  us 
soon." 

"Thou  mayest  run  to  meet  it,"  snapped  the 
brothers,  "  since  thou  hast  nothing  to  carry."  They 
were  angry  that  Yanek  had  taken  nothing,  while  they 
must  carry  heavy  bags  on  their  backs. 

They  walked  on  a  whole  half-day  ;  the  sun  was 
burning,  and  the  brothers  were  tired  and  hungry. 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.      297 

They  sat  down  at  the  roadside  under  a  tree,  in  the 
shade,  took  out  provisions,  and  began  to  eat,  —  that 
is,  Martin  and  Mihal ;  but  Yanek  sat  by  himself  and 
began  to  cry,  either  because  he  remembered  his 
father's  death  or  was  hungry.  His  brothers  ridiculed 
him  and  said :  "  See  now,  thou  wilt  not  be  so  lazy 
another  time,  and  then  thou  wilt  not  be  hungry." 

Yanek  brushed  away  his  tears  with  his  sleeve,  and 
said :  "  Ye  might  have  a  little  shame.  Ye  are  going 
out  into  the  world  so  as  to  be  able  to  support  your 
mother  when  ye  go  home ;  but  now  ye  have  taken 
from  her  everything !  " 

Such  an  answer  the  brothers  did  not  expect  from 
simple  Yanek.  They  were  silent ;  and  after  a  while, 
as  if  moved  from  kindness,  they  asked  Yanek  to  eat 
with  them ;  but  they  did  not  do  it  from  compassion 
or  brotherly  love,  but  to  lessen  their  fault.  When 
they  had  eaten,  they  rose  and  went  on  their  way.  In 
the  evening  they  came  to  a  cottage  and  asked  for 
lodgings.  The  cottager  took  them  under  his  roof, 
and  asked  them  to  sup.  Martin  thanked  him  with  a 
certain  boastfulness,  saying  that  he  had  provisions 
enough  of  his  own. 

The  man  sat  down  to  supper  with  his  wife.  Yanek 
sat  with  downcast  face  alone  in  a  corner.  The  woman 
went  to  the  kitchen,  and  when  returning,  saw  that 
Yanek  had  nothing  to  eat.  "  Oh,  little  boy,  come 
and  eat  with  us  !  "  said  she  kindly.  Turning  to  Martin 
she  asked  if  that  was  their  servant. 


298         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  What  servant !  "  said  Martin.  "  He  is  our  bro- 
ther, but  such  a  lazy  fellow,  he  would  not  bring  any- 
thing for  himself." 

Yanek  did  not  wish  to  go  to  the  table,  but  consented 
at  last.  Martin  squinted  at  the  dish ;  and  when  he  saw 
soup,  he  hated  Yanek.  Soup  was  his  favorite  dish,  and 
now  he  must  look  on  and  see  how  Yanek  enjoyed  it, 
and  must  be  satisfied  with  dry  bread  and  a  bit  of 
cheese.  Full  of  hatred  he  went  to  bed  in  the  place 
which  the  cottager  showed  him,  with  his  brothers. 
For  a  long  time  he  lay  awake,  and  when  he  fell  asleep 
he  saw  in  a  dream,  Yanek  eating  soup.  In  the 
morning  the  brothers  rose  before  breakfast,  because 
they  wanted  Yanek  to  have  nothing  to  eat.  Martin 
went  through  the  nearest  forest,  hoping  that  they 
would  find  no  house  all  day,  and  so  Yanek  would 
have  no  food. 

The  whole  forenoon  they  walked  through  the  thick 
forest,  and  Martin  wished  to  eat  his  dinner ;  but  the 
forest  began  to  grow  thin  and  soon  they  came  to  an 
open  country.  They  looked  for  a  road,  went  on  a 
small  hill,  and  then  saw  in  the  valley  a  great  castle  as 
high  as  ten  houses  placed  one  on  the  other.  Yanek 
laughed,  but  Martin  was  not  pleased :  "  We  have  lost 
the  road,"  said  he ;  "  we  must  go  back." 

"But,  foolish  fellow,"  said  Mihal,  who  was  tired, 
"  we  are  going  out  in  the  world,  what  difference  does 
it  make ;  it  is  all  the  same  whether  we  go  one  way  or 
another." 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.      299 

Without  saying  a  word  or  looking  at  his  brothers, 
Yanek  went  straight  toward  the  castle.  That  started 
off  Martin,  and  soon  he  caught  up  with  Yanek.  "  Walk 
behind,"  said  he,  "  I  'm  the  eldest;  I  must  go  ahead." 

They  soon  came  to  the  castle,  but  did  not  see  a 
living  thing ;  they  were  greatly  afraid.  Martin  wished 
to  run  away ;  but  when  he  saw  Yanek  open  the  door, 
he  followed  him.  They  entered  a  splendid  hall.  How 
astonished  were  they!  On  the  floor  was  a  pile  of 
copper  money  five  ells  high.  Martin  and  Mihal, 
blinded  by  the  glitter  of  the  money,  threw  out  their 
remaining  provisions,  filled  their  bags,  and  wanted  to 
run  away;  but  Yanek  opened  the  next  door,  through 
which  the  brothers  saw  in  another  hall  a  still  greater 
pile  of  money,  but  silver.  They  emptied  their  bags 
of  the  copper  money  with  all  speed,  and  filled  them 
with  silver.  They  had  barely  done  this  when  Yanek 
opened  a  third  door,  and  cried  out  with  wonder, —  a 
thing  which  he  seldom  did,  —  "  Ai !  "  The  brothers 
threw  their  bags  on  the  floor,  rushed  to  the  door,  but 
had  to  cover  their  eyes  with  their  hands,  for  it  was  as 
bright  as  the  sun  in  the  next  chamber.  They  saw 
this  was  gold.  Still  more  quickly  than  before,  they 
threw  the  silver  out  of  their  bags,  and  panting  for 
breath,  filled  them  with  gold  pieces. 

"  Now  let  us  go,"  cried  Martin ;  "  some  one  may 
come,  and  then  we  shall  suffer."  They  started  from 
the  castle  as  fast  as  they  could.  Yanek  went  too, 
and  took  as  he  was  going  only  one  piece  of  money 


300         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

from  each  heap,  and  in  the  third  room  the  remnants 
of  food  which  his  brothers  had  thrown  out.  The 
brothers  escaped  with  the  money  successfully,  meet- 
ing no  one.  Yanek  followed  at  his  leisure,  eating 
the  provisions  which  his  brothers  had  thrown  away. 
When  they  came  to  the  forest,  the  two  brothers 
crawled  into  the  thicket,  threw  their  bags  on  the 
ground,  and  began  to  rest.  Yanek  also  lay  down 
after  he  had  put  the  last  bit  of  bread  in  his  mouth. 
Here  Martin  remembered  the  provisions,  but  he  had 
only  ducats  in  his  bag. 

"  Yanek,"  said  he,  "  run  back  to  the  castle  and 
bring  us  from  the  first  chamber  the  provisions  which 
we  forgot  there." 

But  Yanek  answered  bluntly,  "  I  will  not  go." 

"  Why  not?  "  asked  Martin  in  anger. 

"  Because  they  might  catch  me,  and  I  should  have 
to  suffer  instead  of  you;  besides,  there  is  no  food 
there,  for  when  you  threw  it  away  I  picked  it  up  and 
ate  it." 

"  Monster !  "  screamed  Martin  in  rage,  "  I  '11  teach 
thee  to  obey  thy  eldest  brother.  Mihal,  give  him 
here  to  me." 

Mihal  did  not  wait  to  be  spoken  to  twice.  They 
took  poor  Yanek  between  them  and  put  so  many 
blows  on  him  that  he  was  soon  lying  as  if  dead  on 
the  ground ;  then  they  took  their  bags  on  their  backs 
and  hurried  home  through  the  woods. 

"  That  lazy-bones  !  "  growled  Martin,  "  let  him  go 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.     301 

wherever  he  likes ;  he  will  not  dare  to  teach  us  again." 
They  got  out  of  the  forest  quickly,  and  in  the  evening 
came  to  an  inn  where  they  refreshed  themselves. 
Next  morning  they  set  out  for  home.  In  the  neigh- 
boring town,  where  the  king  dwelt,  they  bought  a 
house,  brought  their  mother  to  it,  and  began  to  live 
like  great  lords. 

Yanek,  poor  fellow,  lay  for  a  long  time  unconscious 
in  the  forest.  At  last  he  woke  from  his  trance,  rested 
his  head  against  a  tree,  and  fell  to  thinking  of  his  con- 
dition. "  Oh,  cruel  brothers,  ye  have  left  the  forest ! 
Who  knows  whether  I  shall  find  the  way  home  ?  I 
am  weak ;  I  cannot  walk  far ;  I  will  go  back  to  the 
castle,  no  matter  what  meets  me ;  I  will  take  money, 
too,  and  live  like  a  lord." 

Many  a  one  will  wonder  that  Yanek  changed  all  at 
once ;  but  a  beating  has  brought  many  a  man  to  new 
ways.  So  Yanek  made  ready  and  went  to  the  castle. 
In  the  castle  there  was  not  a  living  soul.  Yanek 
took  off  his  coat,  tied  the  sleeves  at  the  wrist,  and 
began  to  rake  gold  into  them.  He  had  almost  fin- 
ished when  he  heard  noises  at  a  distance  like  bursts 
of  thunder.  These  noises  grew  louder  and  louder 
till  at  last  they  were  so  loud  that  the  castle  trembled. 
All  at  once  a  voice  as  if  a  fifteen-year-old  bull  were 
bellowing,  called,  "  Hu !  hu !  I  smell  the  flesh  of  a 
man !  "  and  before  Yanek  could  gather  his  wits  after 
the  fright,  he  saw  two  giants  standing  at  the  door. 

"  Oh,  worm  of  the  earth,  thou  art  the  one  who  is 


302         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

stealing  our  treasures !  "  howled  one  of  the  giants. 
"  Ha,  thou  wilt  be  a  nice  roast  for  supper,"  added 
he,  smacking  his  lips  so  that  Yanek  lost  his  senses. 
But  the  second  giant  whispered  something  in  the  ear 
of  the  first,  who  nodded,  and  said  to  Yanek :  "  Listen, 
worm  of  the  earth,  I  grant  thee  life,  but  henceforth  thou 
wilt  watch  our  treasures  when  we  are  from  home." 

Yanek  wanted  to  kiss  the  giant's  hand,  but  he 
could  barely  reach  to  his  knee.  "  Only  watch  well, 
worm  of  the  earth,"  said  the  giant,  graciously ;  "  but 
so  that  thou  shouldst  not  be  hungry,  strike  on  this 
little  table  three  times  with  thy  fist  and  call,  '  Food 
for  a  king ! '  and  thou  wilt  have  food  to  thy  liking." 

Yanek  promised  everything,  and  from  that  time 
forth  he  led  a  very  pleasant  life,  —  he  did  nothing, 
no  living  soul  ever  came  to  the  castle,  the  table  was 
always  obedient.  But  at  last  he  grew  tired  of  all  this. 
"  Watch  your  own  treasures,  lord  giants,"  said  he 
one  day  when  the  giants  had  gone  out;  "and  thou, 
my  good  little  table,  come !  —  we  will  go  home." 

Yanek  put  the  table  on  his  back,  stole  away  from 
the  castle,  and  soon  found  himself  in  the  forest.  He 
strolled  leisurely  through  the  forest,  and  after  no 
long  time  was  in  the  open  field.  Here  an  old  grand- 
father met  him,  and  asked  if  he  had  not  something 
to  eat.  "  T  is  long  since  I  have  had  a  bit  in  my 
mouth,"  lamented  the  grandfather. 

"  Then  I  will  help  thee,"  said  Yanek;  "  come  with 
me  to  that  tree  over  there."  They  sat  under  the 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.      303 

tree ;  Yanek  put  his  table  on  the  ground,  and  strik- 
ing on  it  three  times  with  his  fist,  said :  "  Food  for  a 
king !  "  The  table  was  covered  with  the  daintiest 
dishes. 

The  grandfather  ate  his  fill,  and  said :  "  Indeed  this 
is  a  very  beautiful  thing !  But,  my  lad,  if  thou 
wouldst  give  me  this  little  table,  I  would  give  thee 
something  better  in  place  of  it.  This  pack  has  the 
virtue  that  at  command  an  army  will  spring  out  of 
it  as  numerous  as  ever  thou  carest  to  wish." 

Yanek  was  greedy,  but  only  from  the  time  that  he 
got  a  beating  from  his  brothers ;  he  took  the  pack, 
gave  the  grandfather  the  table,  and  they  parted.  But 
Yanek  soon  felt  hungry ;  he  was  in  the  open  field,  and 
nowhere  a  house  to  be  seen.  Now  he  was  angry  at 
himself  for  having  given  away  the  table  so  frivolously ; 
and  besides  he  wished  to  know  if  what  the  grand- 
father said  of  the  pack  was  true.  He  opened  the 
pack  and  commanded  "  two  hundred  hussars  to  the 
field."  He  had  barely  spoken  when  horses  were 
neighing,  arms  rattling,  and  sooner  than  he  could 
think,  two  hundred  hussars  stood  in  line  before  him. 
The  officers  saluted  Yanek,  and  asked  with  respect 
what  he  wanted. 

"  About  five  thousand  yards  from  here,  under  that 
tree,  an  old  man  took  a  table  from  me ;  ride  after 
him,  take  the  table,  and  bring  it  to  me." 

He  had  barely  finished  speaking  when  the  hussars 
rode  off  at  a  wild  gallop,  in  no  long  time  they  re- 


304          Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

turned,  and  their  leader  gave  Yanek  the  table.  Yanek 
opened  his  pack  and  said:  "Two  hundred  hussars  in 
here."  In  a  twinkle  the  hussars  were  in  the  pack, 
from  the  first  man  and  horse  to  the  last.  "  That  is 
not  a  bad  thing,"  said  Yanek  to  himself  as  he  sat  at 
the  table,  struck  three  times  with  his  fist,  and  com- 
manded, "  Food  for  a  king." 

When  he  had  eaten  to  his  content  he  took  his  table 
and  his  pack  and  went  on.  It  was  inclining  toward 
evening,  and  Yanek  had  to  look  for  a  night's  lodging. 
But  this  made  him  small  trouble  ;  it  was  warm  enough, 
he  laid  himself  under  a  tree,  put  the  pack  under  his 
head,  held  the  table  in  his  hand,  and  so  fell  asleep. 
Next  morning  he  ate  like  a  king  and  went  on.  This 
time  he  met  a  grandfather  as  he  had  the  day  before, 
and  he  too  asked  for  food.  Yanek  commanded  the 
table,  and  the  grandfather  ate  his  fill.  "  My  lad," 
said  he,  "  here  is  a  bag;  give  me  thy  table  for  it." 

"  Oh,  grandfather,"  said  Yanek,  with  a  laugh, 
"  nothing  can  come  of  that." 

"  This  is  no  laughing  matter,  my  lad ;  the  bag  is 
worth  getting,  for  it  has  this  virtue,  —  that  wherever 
and  whenever  thou  hast  the  wish,  thou  canst  call 
out  of  it  as  many  castles  as  may  please  thee." 

Yanek  fell  to  thinking,  and  then  said  with  a  smile, 
"Let  it  be  so." 

The  grandfather  took  the  table,  Yanek  the  bag; 
then  they  parted.  But  barely  had  the  grandfather 
vanished  from  sight  when  Yanek  opened  the  pack 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.      305 

and  commanded :  "  Three  hundred  Uhlans  to  the 
field !  "  Scarce  had  he  spoken  when  three  hundred 
Uhlans  were  standing  in  line  before  him.  "  Go  now 
to  the  right  on  the  road ;  at  the  ditch  a  man  took  my 
table :  take  that  table  and  bring  it  to  me." 

The  Uhlans  flashed  away,  and  a  man  could  scarcely 
have  counted  ten  before  Yanek  had  the  table.  Then 
he  opened  the  pack  and  commanded :  "  Three  hun- 
dred Uhlans  this  way !  "  and  the  Uhlans  vanished  in 
the  pack.  Yanek  was  beside  himself  with  gladness 
when  he  took  the  table,  the  pack,  and  the  bag,  and 
continued  his  way. 

In  the  evening  he  came  to  the  capital  town,  and 
there  he  learned  that  his  brothers  had  become  great 
lords.  He  went  before  the  town,  tore  his  clothes 
purposely,  then  lay  in  the  dust  and  rolled  several 
times.  He  did  this  so  that  he  might  seem  out 
and  out  ragged  and  poor.  Then  he  went  to  his 
brothers  and  implored  them  to  take  pity  on  him. 
They  would  not  even  recognize  him ;  but  his  mother 
fell  on  his  neck  and  begged  for  him.  The  brothers 
gave  way,  and  granted  him  lodging,  but  in  the  stable. 
Yanek  was  satisfied;  he  lay  on  the  bed  which  was 
given  him,  —  that  is,  a  bundle  of  straw,  —  and  waited 
till  all  were  asleep.  Then  he  sprang  over  the  fence 
to  the  garden,  opened  the  bag,  and  commanded : 
"  One  castle  out  of  the  bag !  "  and  that  moment  there 
stood  in  the  garden  the  most  beautiful  castle.  Then 
he  opened  the  pack  and  commanded :  "  Fifty  infantry 

20 


306         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

come  out  !  "  and  fifty  foot-soldiers  stood  before 
him. 

"  Ye,"  said  he  to  them,  "  will  be  all  night  on  guard 
here  in  my  castle ;  but  when  in  the  morning  the  cock 
crows  the  second  time,  rouse  me." 

The  warriors  saluted  and  took  their  places  on 
guard.  Yanek  took  the  table  which  he  had  secreted, 
as  well  as  the  pack  and  bag,  and  went  into  the  castle. 
There  he  selected  the  most  beautiful  chamber,  com- 
manded the  table,  and  supped.  After  supper  he  lay 
down  and  slept  till  the  guards  roused  him.  He  rose, 
ate,  and  before  any  one  was  awake  in  the  house  of 
his  brothers  he  commanded  the  warriors  into  the 
pack,  the  castle  into  the  bag,  then  crawled  over  the 
fence,  and  lay  on  his  straw  in  the  stable.  This  he 
did  night  after  night.  But  it  was  a  wonder  to  his 
brothers  how  he  was  alive ;  for  though  they  had  two 
bags  of  ducats,  they  never  gave  him  a  morsel  to  eat. 
Therefore  they  pressed  Yanek  to  tell  them  if  he  had 
gathered  much  coin  in  the  castle;  they  thought  he 
had  money,  but  did  not  wish  to  show  it  before 
them. 

"  Simpleton  !  I  was  glad  to  get  out  of  there  alive ; 
for  that  castle  belongs  to  giants,"  answered  Yanek. 
"  But  I  have  something  else,  and  it  is  better  than 
your  gold  pieces." 

Then  he  brought  the  table,  struck  it  three  times 
with  his  fist,  and  said :  "  Food  for  a  king !  " 

Martin   and    Mihal    stood    like    apparitions,    they 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.      307 

could  not  believe  their  eyes;  but  when  they  began 
to  eat  they  believed  their  tongues. 

The  story  of  the  wonderful  table  was  spread  through 
the  town,  and  soon  came  to  the  king.  He  was  eager 
for  the  food  of  the  table,  and  sent  his  chamberlain 
to  Yanek  to  borrow  the  table  for  three  days. 

"  Agreed,"  said  Yanek ;  "  here  it  is.  But  if  it  is  not 
returned  to  me  at  the  end  of  three  days  I  will  declare 
war  against  the  king." 

The  chamberlain  bowed,  took  the  table,  and  told 
the  king,  with  a  smile,  that  Yanek  would  declare  war 
against  him  unless  the  table  was  returned.  The  table 
pleased  the  king  beyond  measure,  but  still  more  the 
food ;  therefore  he  meditated  how  to  deceive  Yanek. 
He  summoned  all  the  joiners,  carvers,  and  turners 
in  the  town,  and  ordered  them  to  make  exactly 
such  a  table  as  Yanek's.  They  went  to  work,  and 
before  the  third  day  had  passed  there  were  two 
tables,  and  the  king  himself  could  not  tell  which  was 
the  right  one.  Soon  he  made  sure  of  it,  and  then 
he  sent  the  counterfeit  table  by  the  chamberlain  to 
Yanek. 

Yanek  struck  the  table  three  times  with  his  fist  and 
ordered :  "  Food  for  a  king !  "  The  table  trembled, 
but  nothing  more.  "  Food  for  a  king !  "  shouted 
Yanek,  full  of  anger;  but  he  soon  discovered  that 
the  king  had  deceived  him,  and  he  pounded  the  table 
till  he  pounded  it  to  pieces. 

"  Take  this  and  carry  it  to  the  king,"  said  he  to 


308         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

the  chamberlain,  "  and  tell  him  that  I  '11  smash  down 
his  castle  to-morrow  as  I  have  broken  this  table !  " 

The  chamberlain  collected  the  fragments,  took  them 
to  the  king,  and  told  him  what  Yanek  had  said.  The 
king  only  smiled  haughtily,  and  thought  that  he  had 
finished  with  Yanek.  In  the  night,  however,  he  had 
wonderful  dreams,  and  early  next  morning  he  ordered 
his  army  to  be  placed  before  the  castle  and  be  ready 
for  battle. 

Now  Yanek  came  with  his  pack,  counted  the  royal 
troops,  and  still  once  more  asked  the  king  to  return 
his  table ;  but  the  king  only  laughed.  Then  Yanek 
opened  the  pack  and  commanded :  "  A  thousand  times 
a  thousand  infantry  out ;  a  thousand  times  a  thousand 
cavalry  out."  From  the  pack  there  was  the  rush  of 
an  avalanche.  Soon  the  whole  country  in  front  of 
the  castle  was  filled  with  the  finest  of  armies.  The 
king  and  his  troops  were  as  if  before  a  vision ;  but 
when  Yanek  raised  his  hand  as  a  signal  for  attack, 
the  king  raised  a  white  flag  and  went  to  Yanek. 

"  Thou  seest,"  said  the  king,  almost  imploringly, 
"  I  was  mistaken ;  but  I  wish  to  correct  my  mistake. 
I  will  return  the  table,  and  besides  I  will  give  thee 
my  daughter  in  marriage." 

"  Then  peace,"  said  Yanek.  "  But  first  bring  thy 
princess ;  let  me  see  her." 

The  princess  soon  came  with  her  ladies,  raised  her 
veil,  and  stood  before  Yanek. 

"The  wedding  will   be  to-day!"  ordered  Yanek, 


The  Table,  the  Pack,  and  the  Bag.      309 

and  kissed  the  princess  on  the  forehead.  She  was 
not  angry;  nay,  it  may  be  said  she  was  glad.  Then 
Yanek  commanded :  "  A  thousand  times  a  thousand 
infantry  in;  a  thousand  times  a  thousand  cavalry 
in,"  and  closed  the  pack. 

The  royal  army  withdrew  to  the  fortress,  and  now 
quick  preparations  were  made  for  the  marriage.  At 
midday  Yanek  and  the  princess  belonged  to  each 
other.  Then  they  feasted,  and  the  table  gave  meat 
and  drink  till  the  evening. 

When  all  were  in  bed  Yanek  went  out  to  the  king's 
garden  with  his  bag,  opened  it,  and  commanded : 
"  Let  the  most  beautiful  castle  that  can  be  in  the 
world  come  out  of  this  bag ! "  And  that  was  such 
a  castle  that  Yanek  himself  was  astonished. 

Then  he  went  to  the  old  castle  to  the  king,  who  had 
already  prepared  chambers  to  which  he  wished  to 
conduct  him  and  the  princess ;  but  Yanek  answered 
that  he  had  his  own  household,  and  the  king  had 
such  faith  in  him  that  he  believed.  Yanek  con- 
ducted his  bride  to  the  new  castle,  and  she  could 
not  admire  its  splendor  sufficiently. 

In  the  morning  people  hurried  to  the  king  and  told 
him  that  there  was  a  new  castle  in  the  garden.  The 
sun  was  just  rising,  and  casting  its  rays  on  the  castle, 
the  castle  was  blazing  with  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones.  The  king  now  respected  Yanek  still  more, 
and  gave  him  all  that  he  could,  even  his  kingdom. 

So  Yanek  became  king,  and  a  great  king  who  could 


310         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

give  battle  to  the  whole  world.  On  the  boundaries  he 
put  castles  everywhere  out  of  the  bag,  and  from  the 
pack  he  garrisoned  them  with  troops.  The  table  gave 
him  the  best  of  food;  what  more  could  he  want? 

He  reigned  long,  and  was  a  real  father  to  his  sub- 
jects. As  a  punishment  to  his  brothers  he  did  not 
let  them  come  near  him ;  but  his  mother  he  cared  for 
so  well  that  she  reached  a  great  age.  In  the  most 
beautiful  chamber  of  the  castle,  on  a  golden  throne, 
were  the  pack  and  the  bag,  and  near  them  the  table. 

When  King  Yanek  died  he  was  mourned  by  all ; 
he  left  his  children  the  mightiest  kingdom  on  earth. 
His  eldest  son  succeeded  him ;  but  accustomed  to 
splendor  and  luxury,  he  did  not  govern  the  kingdom 
so  well  as  his  father.  After  his  death  it  was  still 
worse.  The  succeeding  kings  were  ashamed  of  their 
peasant  stock ;  and  so  that  no  man  might  discover  the 
real  foundation  of  their  power  and  turn  them  into 
ridicule,  they  took  the  table,  the  pack,  and  the  bag, 
and  cast  them  into  a  dark,  damp  cellar. 

And  will  ye  ask  what  became  of  such  a  mighty 
kingdom  ?  The  table  rotted,  the  bag  rotted,  the  mice 
gnawed  the  pack ;  and  then  it  was  all  over  with  that 
kingdom. 

In  after  times,  when  he  was  in  straits,  the  king  ran 
to  the  cellar,  struck  on  the  table,  looked  for  the  pack 
and  the  bag.  But  the  table  fell  to  pieces  at  the  first 
blow,  of  the  pack  there  remained  but  a  few  little 
straps,  and  of  the  bag  a  few  threads. 


THE   KING  OF   THE  TOADS. 

MANY  and  many  a  year  ago  there  was  a  cottage 
by  the  sea,  and  in  this  cottage  lived  a  fisher- 
man who  caught  fish  in  the  sea.  By  the  king's  com- 
mand he  was  allowed  to  take  fish,  not  when  he  liked, 
but  only  once  a  week,  and  that  on  Mondays.  He 
was  anxious,  therefore,  to  catch  many  on  that  day. 
Fish,  of  course,  are  not  so  crafty  as  men,  but  still 
they  know  enough  to  see  that  there  is  no  fun  in  being 
caught.  What  is  to  be  done  with  them  afterwards  they 
don't  know ;  still,  they  must  suspect  that  it  can  hardly 
be  for  their  amusement.  It  is  no  wonder  then  that 
they  did  not  crowd  into  the  fisherman's  net. 

The  fisherman  worked  every  Monday  till  the  sweat 
streamed  down  his  face ;  and  this  all  the  more,  since, 
come  what  might,  he  was  obliged  to  bring  fish  to  the 
king's  kitchen  each  Monday.  Once  he  worked  the 
whole  forenoon  without  catching  even  a  white  fish. 
"I  will  try  once  more/'  thought  the  tired  fisherman; 
"  I  will  throw  everything  into  the  water,  and  jump 
around  to  frighten  the  fish,  they  are  so  stubborn." 

He  threw  the  net  deeply,  and  when  he  pulled  it 
was  very  heavy.  "  Now  there  will  be  fish,"  thought 
he,  joyfully ;  but  what  was  his  astonishment  when,  in- 
stead of  fish,  he  drew  out  a  great  copper  kettle. 


312         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  kettle  was  so  well  fastened  that  the  fisherman 
had  to  work  long  before  he  could  take  off  the  cover. 
But  how  he  was  frightened!  Scarcely  had  he  re- 
moved the  cover  when  out  of  the  kettle  rushed  black 
smoke,  which  grew  thicker  and  thicker,  till  at  last  it 
changed  to  a  fiery  man. 

"  Thou  hast  helped  me,  and  I  will  help  thee,"  said 
he  to  the  terrified  fisherman ;  "  but  in  my  own  way  I 
will  destroy  thee." 

The  fisherman  lost  his  head,  but  soon  recovering 
said:  "  Oh,  I  don't  care,  I  am  already  tired  of  this 
world ;  still  thou  must  do  something  for  me,  since  I 
freed  thee.  I  can't  understand  how  thou  wert  able  to 
live  in  such  a  small  place,  and  under  the  water  too, 
and  then  change  so  quickly." 

"  I  '11  show  thee  in  a  moment,"  said  the  fiery 
man  ;  and  he  began  to  turn  into  black  smoke, 
and  in  no  long  time  he  was  packed  into  the  kettle 
again. 

"  Dost  see  me?  "  inquired  he  of  the  fisherman. 

"  I  see  thee,"  answered  the  fisherman,  laughing ; 
"  I  see  thee,  but  thou  'It  not  see  me  any  more." 

The  cover  was  already  on  the  kettle  and  fastened 
firmly.  The  fiery  man  by  no  means  expected  to  find 
such  cunning  among  people,  and  considering  his  con- 
dition in  the  kettle,  began  to  beg  of  the  fisherman : 
"  Let  me  out  and  I  will  reward  thee." 

"  Swear  that  thou  wilt  never  destroy  me,"  said  the 
fisherman. 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  313 

The  spirit  answered  with  a  solemn  voice,  "  I 
swear." 

The  fisherman  removed  the  cover,  and  black  smoke 
rolled  out,  growing  thicker  and  thicker,  till  at  last  it 
turned  into  a  fiery  man. 

"  Follow  me,"  said  he  to  the  fisherman;  and  the  lat- 
ter followed  without  thinking. 

In  a  short  time  they  came  to  a  high  cliff  in  which 
steps  were  cut  in  the  stone.  The  fiery  man  bent  to 
the  earth,  plucked  an  herb,  and  giving  it  to  the  fisher- 
man said :  "  Keep  this  with  thee  always.  Put  thy  foot 
on  this  step;  immediately  after  thou  wilt  be  on  a 
high  mountain,  from  which  thou  wilt  see  a  great  lake. 
In  the  lake  is  a  wealth  of  fish,  and  thou  hast  the  right 
to  catch  as  many  of  them  as  may  please  thee,  but 
only  once  a  week,  on  Mondays.  When  thou  hast  the 
wish  to  come  down,  climb  to  the  top,  and  soon  thou 
wilt  be  at  the  bottom." 

Thereupon  the  fiery  man  vanished,  but  the  fisher- 
man went  on  the  steps  cut  in  the  rock;  in  one 
moment  a  mighty  wind  caught  him,  and  in  a  twinkle 
he  was  on  a  high  mountain,  from  which  he  saw  an 
altogether  unknown  country  covered  with  dark  forests, 
in  the  midst  of  which  was  a  broad  lake ;  only  here 
and  there  was  a  grass-plot  to  be  seen,  there  were 
neither  hills  nor  the  dwellings  of  men. 

The  fisherman  went  down  from  the  mountain,  and 
when  he  had  reached  the  lake  he  found  a  boat  with 
all  the  fishing-tackle,  as  if  made  ready  for  him  He 


314         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

went  to  work  willingly,  threw  in  the  net,  and  drew 
out  nothing;  he  threw  it  in  a  second  time,  drew  out 
as  much  as  before.  "  That  fiery  man  has  fooled  me," 
thought  he,  "  but  the  third  throw  is  always  the  best." 
He  cast  his  net  again  and  drew  out  three  fish ;  when 
he  saw  them  in  the  net,  he  said  bitterly :  "  Well,  this 
is  a  wealth  of  fish !  If  it  goes  on  in  this  way  I  '11  soon 
leave  the  place;  besides,  I  don't  like  travelling  by 
wind."  But  when  he  looked  at  the  fish  more  care- 
fully, and  took  them  in  his  hand,  he  found  that  in  all 
his  life  he  had  never  seen  anything  like  them. 
"  These  are  not  for  me,"  muttered  he,  "  I  must  give 
them  to  the  king ;  he  will  soon  try  them."  With  that 
he  left  the  boat,  went  to  the  mountain,  and  had  barely 
touched  the  summit  when  a  mighty  wind  seized  him, 
and  placed  him  on  level  land.  He  set  out  for  home, 
and  it  was  time ;  for  his  wife  had  already  cooked  the 
dinner  and  was  waiting.  As  soon  as  he  saw  her  before 
the  door,  he  hurried  his  steps ;  and  when  she  was  in 
the  cottage  he  began  to  run.  And  why  did  he  run, 
because  he  feared  her?  Not  at  all.  He  cared  nothing 
for  her,  as  he  said  himself;  but  he  loved  domestic 
peace,  and  did  everything  his  wife  wanted,  but  always 
did  it  in  such  fashion  that  she  might  not  know  what 
he  was  doing ;  this  was  to  preserve  his  own  impor- 
tance in  her  eyes.  He  went  into  the  house  slowly, 
and  said  at  the  door:  "Well,  my  dear,  I  have  caught 
a  few  fish  to-day ;  but  I  had  much  trouble,  or  I  should 
have  been  home  long  ago." 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  315 

"  Time  for  thee,"  snapped  his  wife ;  "  if  thou  art 
late  again  I  '11  eat  alone,  leave  nothing,  and  thou  wilt 
find  out  that  I  am  not  thy  slave  to  wait  and  suffer 
hunger." 

"  Oh  well,  things  are  not  so  bad  to-day,"  said  the 
fisherman ;  "  better  come  and  see  these  wonderful 
fish." 

"  They  are  just  like  any  other  fish,"  cried  the 
woman,  "  only  they  look  a  little  different,  that 's  all." 

"  And  for  that  very  reason  thou  wilt  take  them  to 
the  king.  He  will  pay  us  well  for  them ;  we  should 
not  be  able  to  use  them." 

"  Oh,  thou  couldst  soon  do  away  with  them," 
replied  his  wife,  "  but  that's  why  I  '11  take  them  to 
the  king;  besides,  we  are  up  to  our  ears  in  fish." 

After  dinner  the  fisherman's  wife  hurried  to  the 
king  with  the  fish.  When  she  came  to  the  palace, 
she  asked  the  first  man  she  met  where  the  king  was, 
but  got  as  answer:  "  I  don't  keep  the  king!  "  She 
went  farther,  making  confusion  everywhere  until  all 
the  servants  came  together,  but  no  one  said  anything 
to  her.  At  last  she  reached  the  guard  who  stood 
before  the  king's  chamber ;  she  wanted  to  go  without 
ceremony  to  his  Kingly  Grace.  The  guard  pushed 
her  back  sharply,  but  the  fishwoman  did  not  retreat 
so  easily;  she  tried  once  more  to  break  through  the 
guards,  but  this  time  she  was  repulsed.  One  of  the 
guards,  as  firm  as  a  rock,  and  with  as  much  hair  on 
his  face  as  a  bear,  caught  her  by  the  hand  and  pulled 


316         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

her  so  roughly  that  she  almost  fell  to  the  floor.  She 
screamed  that  they  were  killing  her,  and  roused  the 
whole  palace;  even  the  king  came.  She  turned 
straight  to  him  and  cried  out  over  the  heads  of 
the  men :  "  Royal  Grace,  I  am  bringing  fish,  and 
these  bears  won't  let  me  in." 

The  king,  who  was  in  good  humor  that  day,  beck- 
oned her  to  come.  "  What  kind  of  fish,  and  how 
many?"  asked  he  when  she  approached. 

"  Royal  Grace,  only  three,  but  so  wonderful  that 
I  have  not  seen  such  as  long  as  I  live."  With  that 
she  took  a  fish  from  the  basket  and  handed  it  to  the 
king. 

"  Wonderful,  indeed,"  said  the  king,  "  but  give 
them  not  to  me,  give  them  to  my  cook ;  and  here  is  to 
thee  for  the  road,"  giving  her  a  handful  of  gold-pieces. 

The  fishwoman,  when  she  saw  so  much  money,  fell 
at  the  king's  feet,  and  came  near  throwing  him  down ; 
but  he  did  n't  mind.  Then  she  took  the  fish  to  the 
kitchen,  and  ran  headlong  home. 

After  she  had  gone  the  king  went  to  the  kitchen, 
looked  at  one  of  the  fish,  and  said  to  the  cook: 
"  Thou  must  dress  these  fish  in  a  special  manner,  and 
answer  with  thy  head  for  the  cooking." 

"  Royal  Grace,  in  what  manner?"  asked  the  cook, 
trembling  with  terror  when  he  heard  of  his  head; 
for  though  he  was  a  great  hero  at  cutting  off  heads, 
he  trembled  like  an  aspen  when  his  own  head  was  in 
question. 


The  King  of  tke  Toads.  317 

"  That 's  thy  affair,"  replied  the  king ;  "  I  will  send 
my  chamberlain  to  thee  to  look  after  the  fish." 

The  king  went  away,  and  presently  the  chamber- 
lain appeared.  The  cook  did  not  know  how  to  pre- 
pare the  fish,  and  lost  his  wits,  —  but  that  was  his  luck, 
for  he  did  everything  without  knowing  it,  and  alto- 
gether different  from  his  wont.  At  last  when  they 
had  the  fish  on  the  pan,  and  began  to  butter  them, 
the  whole  palace  trembled.  Then  followed  a  terrible 
shock ;  and  before  the  cook  or  the  chamberlain  could 
think  what  it  meant,  they  received  each  such  a  slap 
on  the  face  from  an  invisible  hand  that  they  fell 
senseless  to  the  floor.  And  while  they  were  lying  in 
such  concord  on  the  floor,  they  knew  not  that  one  of 
the  fish  stood  on  his  tail  in  the  pan,  and  said  to  the 
other  two :  "  Will  ye  serve  me  or  be  food  for  the 
king." 

"  Serve  thee,"  said  both  in  one  voice.  With  that 
all  three  of  them  vanished,  and  to  this  day  no  man 
knows  whither  they  went. 

The  cook  woke  up  from  his  involuntary  slumber 
sooner  than  the  chamberlain ;  he  did  not  rise,  how- 
ever, but  waited  for  the  other.  Then  he  rose,  groaned 
heavily,  complained,  and  both  hurried  to  the  fish; 
but  they  were  gone.  "  The  devil  take  the  fish  !  "  said 
the  cook ;  "  but  what  will  the  king  say?  " 

It  was  no  great  joy  for  the  chamberlain  that  the  fish 
were  gone ;  still  he  went  to  the  king  and  told  him  of 
all  that  had  happened  in  the  kitchen. 


318         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales, 

"  I  cannot  believe  it,"  said  the  king ;  "  but  if  thou 
canst  get  more  fish  like  these,  thou  wilt  be  forgiven 
this  time.  Now  go  to  the  fisherman  and  tell  him  to 
get  other  fish  like  these." 

The  chamberlain  hurried  away  with  light  heart,  re- 
joiced at  his  easy  escape.  The  fisherman  said  that 
he  could  catch  fish  only  on  Mondays.  The  chamber- 
lain told  this  to  the  king ;  the  king  was  very  angry. 
But  what  could  he  gain  by  that? 

There  was  joy  in  the  fisherman's  cottage  by  reason 
of  so  much  money,  and  the  fisherman's  wife  could 
hardly  wait  till  Monday.  She  roused  her  husband 
early  Monday  morning,  got  him  a  holiday  breakfast, 
and  almost  pushed  him  out  of  the  house,  so  as  to 
bring  those  strange  fish  with  all  speed.  The  fisher- 
man obeyed,  not  his  wife,  however,  but  the  king,  and 
hastened  to  the  cliff  with  the  wonderful  herb  in  his 
bosom.  He  had  barely  stood  on  the  step,  when  he 
was  carried  to  the  mountain;  and  from  there  he 
rushed  to  the  lake,  where  he  found  a  boat  watting 
for  him  as  before.  The  first  and  second  time  he 
caught  nothing;  but  the  third  time  he  drew  out  three 
fish.  "  Now  my  wife  will  be  glad,"  thought  he,  and 
hurried  up  the  mountain ;  from  there  he  was  taken  to 
the  valley  in  an  instant,  and  ran  home.  His  wife 
pulled  the  fish  out  of  his  hands,  threw  them  into  a 
basket,  and  ran  to  the  king's  palace.  The  guard  was 
ordered  to  let  her  pass;  and  she  went  straight  to 
the  king,  who  came  out  to  meet  her,  and  looking  at 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  319 

the  fish,  to  see  if  they  were  the  same,  gave  her  an- 
other handful  of  gold  for  her  trouble.  The  fish- 
woman  thanked  him,  took  the  fish  to  the  kitchen, 
and  went  home  leisurely,  for  she  counted  the  money 
to  see  if  there  was  the  same  as  before ;  there  was  still 
more.  Now  there  was  joy  in  the  cottage;  and  the 
fisherman  was  thankful  in  his  heart  to  the  fiery  man, 
by  whose  action  he  had  gained  such  peace  in  his 
household. 

New  orders  were  issued  by  the  king  to  the  cook, 
who  was  trembling  with  terror,  thinking  what  would 
come  of  the  fish.  But  the  king,  who  did  not  believe 
even  the  chamberlain,  sent  his  eldest  son  to  watch 
both  the  chamberlain  and  the  cook,  lest  they  should 
eat  the  fish  themselves.  They  all  stood  in  great 
expectation  around  the  pan  in  which  the  butter  was 
melting  under  the  fish ;  but  as  soon  as  they  began  to 
butter  the  fish,  the  castle  was  shaken  more  violently 
than  before,  a  still  louder  shock  followed,  and  the 
cook,  chamberlain,  and  even  the  prince  himself,  re- 
ceived such  slaps  from  an  unseen  hand  that  all  three 
fell  senseless  to  the  floor.  And  while  they  were  lying 
there,  they  did  not  know  that  one  of  the  fish  stood 
on  its  tail  in  the  pan,  and  said  to  the  other  two: 
"Will  ye  be  food  for  the  king,  or  serve  me?" 

"  Serve  thee,"  answered  the  two  in  one  voice ;  then 
all  three  vanished  in  an  instant,  and  to  this  day  no 
man  knows  whither. 

The  cook  came  to  his  senses  first ;  but  seeing  the 


320         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

chamberlain  and  the  prince  still  on  the  floor,  he 
stayed  where  he  was.  The  chamberlain  followed  his 
example ;  at  last  the  prince  jumped  up  and  roused 
both.  For  a  while  they  acted  as  if  they  had  lost  their 
wits,  then  rose  to  their  feet  slowly,  and  complained. 
When  they  looked  in  the  pan  they  found  it  empty. 
The  prince  told  all  carefully  to  his  father.  The  king 
was  raging,  and  threatened  them  all  with  death.  At 
last  he  was  pacified,  and  sent  the  prince  to  the  fish- 
erman. The  prince  gave  the  king's  order,  but  the 
fisherman  said  that  he  could  catch  those  fish  only  on 
Mondays.  When  the  king  heard  this  he  fell  into  a 
towering  passion,  though  he  knew  himself  that  the 
fish  could  be  caught  only  on  Mondays.  At  last  he 
grew  calm,  but  resolved  to  be  present  next  time  they 
cooked  these  most  wonderful  fish. 

On  Monday  the  fisherman's  wife  pushed  her  hus- 
band out  of  the  house  at  the  dawn  of  day.  The 
fisherman  came  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  as  before, 
then  hastened  to  the  lake,  where  on  the  third  cast  of 
the  net  he  drew  out  three  fish.  He  hurried  to  the 
top  of  the  mountain;  next  moment  he  was  in  the 
valley,  and  ran  home  as  fast  as  his  breath  would  let 
him.  His  wife  shortened  the  journey  for  him :  she 
ran  to  meet  him,  and  pulling  the  fish  out  of  his 
hands,  rushed  off  to  the  palace  like  a  crazy  woman. 
The  king  was  waiting ;  and  ran  out  the  moment  he 
saw  her.  When  he  looked  at  the  fish  he  gave  her  two 
handfuls  of  gold.  She  took  the  fish  to  the  kitchen, 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  321 

and  hurried  away.     When  she  came  to  the  field  she 
sat  down  and  counted  the  money  ten  times. 

In  the  king's  kitchen  the  king,  the  prince,  and  the 
chamberlain  watched  the  cook  while  he  was  pre- 
paring the  fish.  Because  the  king  was  present,  great 
attention  was  paid  to  everything.  This  was  done 
partly  to  make  the  king  tired  of  being  there ;  but  he 
gave  them  to  understand  that  he  would  wait  till  the 
fish  were  ready.  After  long  preparation  they  got 
them  on  the  pan ;  but  as  soon  as  the  cook  began  to 
butter  them  the  palace  shook  as  in  a  tempest.  Then 
came  a  shock  as  from  a  lightning-stroke,  and  in  an 
instant  all  present  received  such  slaps  on  the  face 
that  they  fell  senseless  to  the  floor.  While  lying 
there  without  distinction  of  persons  none  of  them 
knew,  not  even  the  king,  that  one  of  the  fish  stood 
on  its  tail  in  the  pan  and  said  to  the  other  two: 
"Will  ye  serve  me  or  be  food  for  the  king?" 

"  Serve  thee !  "  answered  both  in  one  voice ;  and 
all  three  vanished. 

After  a  long  time  the  cook  woke  from  his  trance, 
and  seeing  the  king  prostrate,  remained  as  he  was. 
In  like  manner  acted  the  chamberlain  and  the  prince 
when  they  recovered.  At  last  the  king  rose,  walked 
around  the  pan  quickly,  saw  no  fish,  wondered  greatly, 
and  went  to  his  chambers  in  silence.  When  the  king 
had  gone,  the  prince,  the  chamberlain,  and  the  cook 
sprang  from  the  floor  and  shook  themselves. 
.  The  king  pondered  long  over  these  fish,  weighed 

21 


322         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

everything  duly,  and  then  sent  for  the  fisherman. 
The  fisherman  came  straightway;  but  how  he  won- 
dered when  he  heard  what  had  happened  at  the  but- 
tering of  the  fish !  The  king  said :  "  Take  me  to 
that  lake;  I  will  examine  everything  carefully  my- 
self." The  fisherman  of  course  consented.  The 
king  took  his  body-guard,  and  all  moved  toward  the 
cliff,  with  the  fisherman  at  the  head.  When  they 
arrived  there  the  fisherman  gave  the  king  some  of 
the  herb  which  he  had  received  from  the  fiery  man, 
.took  him  by  the  hand,  and  stood  on  the  stone  step. 
In  an  instant  a  mighty  wind  seized  them ;  the  king 
and  the  fisherman  flew  through  the  air,  but  the 
body-guard  stood,  as  if  fallen  from  heaven.  They 
waited  long ;  but  when  nothing  came  of  it,  they  re- 
turned to  the  palace,  and  told  the  terrified  people 
what  they  had  seen. 

In  due  time  the  king  with  the  fisherman  appeared 
on  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  from  whence  he  saw 
the  whole  country.  Although  there  was  no  palace, 
.nor  even  a  cottage,  still  it  pleased  him  greatly 
at  first  sight. 

"There/*  said  the  fisherman  to  the  king,  "  is  the 
lake  where  I  catch  the  wonderful  fish ;  I  have  n't 
gone  farther  yet  in  any  direction." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  king,  "  let  us  go  down." 

On  reaching  the  lake  the  king  told  the  fisherman 
to  catch  the  fish ;  but  he  went  on  himself  to  examine 
the  place.  The  farther  he  went  the  thicker  the  grass. 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  323 

till  at  last  he  had  hard  work  to  get  through ;  still  he 
advanced  till  he  came  to  a  beautiful  green  meadow, 
having  on  one  side  the  forest,  and  on  the  other  the 
lake.  Near  the  shore  in  a  boat  sat  an  old  grand- 
father, whose  head  was  as  white  as  an  apple-tree  in 
blossom. 

"Wilt  thou  row  me  over,  grandfather?  "  asked  the 
king. 

"  Why  should  I  not,  since  that  is  what  I  am  here 
for?" 

The  king  took  a  seat  in  the  boat.  The  old  man 
rowed  without  hurrying ;  but  the  boat  moved  lightly 
over  the  smooth  water,  like  a  fly  through  the  blue 
sky.  When  they  reached  the  middle  of  the  lake  the 
old  man  turned  to  one  side.  Then  the  king  saw  a 
grand  castle  half  hidden  in  the  dark  forest. 

"  Oh,  what  a  beautiful  castle  !  Who  reigns  there?  " 
asked  the  king. 

"Thou  wilt  learn  if  thou  enter,"  replied  the  old 
man.  When  they  touched  the  shore  he  gave  the 
king  a  green  twig,  and  said :  "  Take  this  twig ;  it  will 
be  o^  use  to  thee.  Good-by,  for  thou  wilt  not  see 
me  again." 

"  But  who  will  take  me  back  ?  " 

"  No  one.  Thou  wilt  go  back  on  dry  land ;  "  and 
turning  aside,  he  disappeared. 

The  king  went  straight  to  the  palace ;  and  if  he  won- 
dered at  the  words  of  the  old  man,  he  was  still  more 
astonished  when  he  entered  the  principal  gate  and  saw 


324         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

no  living  soul.  Thoughtfully  he  ascended  the  broad 
steps,  went  through  one  chamber,  then  another,  a 
third,  and  a  fourth ;  but  nowhere  did  he  find  a  living 
creature.  "  This  is  some  enchanted  castle,"  thought 
the  king  to  himself.  "  Who  knows  how  I  shall  es- 
cape? But  I  will  see  all,  and  then  find  the  way 
home.'*  He  examined  the  chambers  further  till  he 
came  to  the  last,  and  there  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
sat  an  old  man,  bent  to  the  floor.  "  I  said  this  was 
an  enchanted  castle,"  thought  the  king ;  "  here  sits 
one  man !  " 

The  old  man  raised  his  head,  and  seeing  the  king, 
said :  "  Welcome ;  at  last  I  see  a  human  face  !  " 

The  king  approached  him  and  asked :  "  Who  art 
thou,  and  what  does  this  empty  palace  mean?" 

"  I  am  a  king,  but  without  subjects  or  power;  an- 
other rules  in  my  place,"  answered  the  old  man, 
bitterly. 

"  What  is  the  cause  of  this?  " 

"  The  treason  of  my  own  wife." 

"  And  is  there  no  fescue?  " 

"Well,  the  same  as  none ;  therefore  be  off  at  once, 
otherwise  my  wife  will  kill  thee  when  she  returns 
from  the  King  of  the  Toads." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  a  woman,"  said  the  king.  "  I 
want  to  stand  before  her ;  we  shall  see  if  there  is  no 
escape." 

"  If  there  were  escape  I  should  not  be  sitting  here 
confined  by  the  King  of  the  Toads !  " 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  325 

"Who  is  this  King  of  the  Toads?" 

"  Listen ;  I  will  tell  thee  my  whole  sad  story.  The 
sun  is  yet  high,  and  until  it  sets  my  wife  will  not 
return  :  Once  I  ruled  over  a  powerful  nation ;  around 
my  palace  was  a  great  city,  and  near  it  a  beautiful 
garden.  All  is  changed  into  a  dark  forest  and  a 
lake.  The  fish  in  the  lake  are  my  former  subjects. 
I  was  once  happy,  and  the  more  so  because  I  ob- 
tained as  wife  a  beautiful  and  kind  princess ;  but  the 
King  of  the  Toads  got  into  the  place  where  the  lake 
now  is,  and  he  turned  my  wife's  heart  from  me.  I 
remonstrated,  begged,  threatened  my  wife  with  death, 
but  in  vain.  Every  day  she  went  to  meet  the  King 
of  the  Toads,  and  listened  to  his  wheedling  speech. 
Once  I  came  upon  them  in  the  summer-house,  and 
heard  with  my  own  ears  their  whispering  and  kissing. 
At  last  the  King  of  the  Toads  said :  '  I  will  find  the 
nest  of  the  magic  bird,  will  take  its  eggs,  and  give 
them  thee  to  eat;  thou  wilt  become  immortal  and 
ever  young;  then  we  shall  be  altogether  happy/ 
'  Deceitful  serpent ! '  I  cried,  springing  from  my  hid- 
ing-place ;  and  with  a  sharp  sword  I  cut  the  King  of 
the  Toads  in  two.  My  wife  fell  upon  him,  weeping, 
and  he  grew  together  again.  Looking  at  me  with 
venomous  eye  he  muttered  words  I  could  not  un- 
derstand, and  that  moment  I  felt  my  blood  grow  cold, 
and  my  veins  stiffened  so  that  I  could  not  think 
of  further  struggle.  I  came  home  in  misery  and  sat 
down  on  this  chair  to  rest ;  but  the  King  of  the  Toads 


326         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

froze  me  to  my  seat,  and  laid  a  spell  upon  the  land. 
From  that  time  I  sit  here,  I  know  not  how  many  years. 
My  wife  spends  every  day  with  her  lover,  and  catches 
frogs  for  him  out  of  the  lake ;  in  return,  he  promises 
her  immortality  and  eternal  youth.  Now,  thou  canst 
see  there  is  no  aid  for  me ;  but  escape  thou  before 
my  wife  kills  thee." 

"  I  will  not  flee,"  said  the  king,  and  drew  his  sword. 
"  I  '11  cut  off  her  head,  —  the  traitorous  soul !  " 

"Foolish  man,"  said  the  old  king;  "the  King  of 
the  Toads  saves  her,  and  will  not  let  her  be  hurt." 

"Let  him  guard  her;  I  must  avenge  thee,"  an- 
swered the  king,  and  sat  on  a  chair  waiting  for  the 
deceitful  queen,  paying  no  attention  to  the  old  man, 
who  begged  him  by  everything  in  the  world  to  escape. 

As  the  sun  was  going  down  the  queen  came,  and 
was  not  a  little  astonished  when  she  saw  the  stately 
knight  with  her  husband.  The  king  drew  his  sword 
and  ran  towards  her,  but  the  moment  the  sword 
touched  her  clothing  it  broke  in  two.  It  would  have 
been  bad  for  the  king  now,  if  he  had  not  remembered 
the  twig  which  the  boatman  gave  him.  'He  pulled  it 
out  quickly,  and  struck  the  queen  three  times.  The 
third  time  he  struck  she  dropped  on  a  seat,  and  was 
unable  to  move  an  eye. 

"  Sit  there,  like  thy  husband,"  said  the  king,  mock- 
ingly, and  counselled  with  the  old  man  what  to  do 
further. 

"  It  would  be  better,"  said  the  old  man,  who  gained 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  327 

courage  when  he  saw  his  wife  frozen  to  the  chair, 
"  to  persuade  the  King  of  the  Toads  to  free  the  king- 
dom and  me  from  enchantment." 

"  I  will  try,"  answered  the  king ;  and  going  to  the 
adjoining  chamber,  where  the  queen's  wardrobe  was, 
he  dressed  in  her  garments  and  came  back  to  the  old 
man.  "  Now  I  will  go  to  the  King  of  the  Toads  and 
pretend  to  be  his  love,  thy  virtuous  wife.  Then  I 
will  beg  him ;  and  if  he  does  not  do  what  I  want,  I  '11 
freeze  him  with  this  twig,  and  stroke  him  with  my 
sword  till  his  heart  softens." 

"  But  beg  of  him  first,"  said  the  old  man. 

The  king  made  his  way  in  silence  to  the  King  of 
the  Toads ;  but  as  it  was  night  he  could  not  find  him, 
and  was  obliged  to  call  out.  He  changed  his  voice, 
which  deceived  the  King  of  the  Toads,  who  came 
quickly  and  wished  to  embrace  him,  thinking  that  he 
was  the  queen. 

"  No,  my  dear,"  said  the  king;  "first  thou  must 
do  something  to  please  me.  What  good  is  it  for  us 
to  live  together  if  my  former  husband  is  troubling 
me?  Either  kill  him  altogether  or  give  him  back  his 
former  condition,  so  that  he  may  die ;  if  thou  wilt  take 
the  spell  from  him,  he  will  fall  to  dust  and  ashes." 

"  Let  it  be  as  thou  wishest,"  said  he,  drawing 
nearer. 

But  she  moved  away,  and  said :  "  I  have  one  more 
favor  to  ask,  but  this  concerns  us  alone.  As  soon  as 
my  former  husband  dies  thou  wilt  take  his  place  and 


328  Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

we  shall  reign  together,  but  what  sort  of  a  reign 
would  it  be  if  the  whole  country  were  enchanted; 
therefore  give  back  its  former  shape  to  the  kingdom, 
and  I  will  marry  thee  before  the  world." 

"  So  let  it  be,"  replied  the  King  of  the  Toads,  and 
embraced  his  supposed  love,  who  refused  no  longer. 
Scarcely  had  he  touched  her  when  he  was  struck 
three  times  with  the  twig,  in  the  dark  night,  and  the 
King  of  the  Toads  was  frozen  to  the  earth. 

"  Serpent  of  hell !  "  cried  the  king  with  his  power- 
ful voice,  "  now  I  '11  enchant  thee  for  the  eternal 
ages ;  "  and  with  that  he  drew  out  his  sword  and  cut 
him  into  countless  pieces,  which  he  threw  into  the 
water.  Frogs  rushed  from  every  side  with  a  terrible 
croaking,  and  greedily  swallowed  the  bits  of  the  body' 
of  their  destroyer. 

They  had  barely  devoured  him  when  the  water  be- 
gan to  run  out  of  the  lake ;  and  the  king  saw  by  the 
light  of  the  moon  which  had  risen  over  the  mountain 
summit,  how  the  tree-tops  were  rising  quickly  from 
the  water,  higher  and  higher  till  the  water  disap- 
peared altogether,  and  in  the  place  of  the  lake  was  a 
splendid  park,  in  which  were  multitudes  of  people 
who,  praising  the  king,  hurried  to  the  castle.  The 
king  joined  them,  but  before  reaching  the  castle  he 
had  to  pass  through  a  large  city ;  and  only  after  trav- 
elling many  streets  did  he  arrive  there.  All  the 
chambers  were  lighted  up,  and  full  of  people,  so  that 
with  difficulty  did  he  find  the  old  man,  who  was 


The  King  of  the  Toads.  329 

) 

standing  in  the  last  chamber,  and  preventing  the  peo- 
ple from  hewing  the  queen  to  pieces ;  but  the  king 
drew  his  sword  and  cut  off  her  head.  "  She  deserved 
it,"  said  he  to  the  old  man,  who.  dropped  a  few  tears 
for  his  former  wife. 

Now  universal  rejoicings  began,  but  the  liberated 
king  took  no  part  in  them.  He  called  his  deliverer 
and  said :  "  My  hours  are  numbered,  I  give  the 
whole  kingdom  to  thee;  rule  in  my  place." 

The  new  king  thanked  the  old  one  kindly,  and 
when  he  rose  in  the  morning,  he  heard  that  the  old 
king  was  dead. 

.  Our  king  mounted  a  fiery  steed,  rode  to  the  city, 
and  announced  to  the  people  the  death  and  last  will 
of  their  former  ruler.  They  grieved  for  a  moment, 
then  with  shouts  of  gladness  greeted  the  new  king. 

After  the  burial  of  the  old  monarch,  his  successor 
examined  the  kingdom  ;  and  as  everything  pleased 
him  greatly,  he  decided  to  stay  there.  Therefore  he 
went  to  his  former  palace,  but  the  road  was  far  longer 
than  when  he  had  travelled  it  with  the  fisherman. 
He  was  obliged  to  ride  several  weeks  before  arriv- 
ing there.  No  one  knew  him,  for  several  years  had 
passed  while  he  was  in  the  enchanted  kingdom.  At 
last  an  old  grandfather  came,  who  said :  "  I  am  one  of 
the  body-guard  who  went  with  thee  to  the  cliff  where 
thou  didst  leave  us.  Take  me,  I  beg,  into  thy  service 
again,  for  all  my  comrades  are  dead;  I  am  alone." 

The   people .  believed    quickly    the   grandfather's 


330         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

words,  gathered  around  the  king  and  kissed  the  hem 
of  his  garment.  The  king  sold  his  castle,  put  every- 
thing he  could  into  wagons,  and  made  ready  for  the 
road.  Now  he  remembered  the  fisherman,  asked  how 
he  was  getting  on,  and  when  he  had  returned  home. 

"  Only  yesterday,"  was  the  reply. 

"Send  for  him,"  commanded  the  king;  and 
straightway  the  fisherman  was  there. 

When  the  king  asked  about  his  adventures,  the 
fisherman  answered :  "  Royal  Grace,  I  have  no  fish, 
and  God  alone  knows  what  happened  in  that  place. 
All  at  once  the  water  disappeared  under  my  boat  and 
I  was  on  dry  land.  I  left  everything  and  ran  away ; 
but  trees  began  to  grow  under  me,  and  so  quickly 
that  every  second  branches  struck  my  face.  Since  it 
was  in  the  night  I  might  have  lost  my  senses.  In  the 
morning  I  wondered  when  I  saw  instead  of  a  forest 
an  enormous  city,  with  a  great  palace.  I  hurried 
from  that  magic  country,  thinking  to  see  my  cottage 
soon;  but  I  travelled  one  day,  I  travelled  two,  a 
week,  a  month,  and  then  a  year — no  sign  of  my 
cottage.  I  gave  up  for  a  time,  and  only  yesterday  I 
came  home  safely.  My  wife  was  dead ;  I  am  all  alone 
now  in  this  wide  world." 

"  Do  not  cry,"  said  the  king ;  "  thou  hast  me  yet. 
Thou  wilt  stay  with  me." 

The  fisherman  answered  with  tears,  and  all  started 
off  on  their  journey.  They  arrived  safely  at  the  new 
kingdom ;  and  all  lived  happily  till  they  died. 


THE    MOUSE-HOLE,  AND  THE  UNDERGROUND 
KINGDOM. 

T3EFORE  times  long  past  there  reigned  a  king 
-L*  somewhere,  and  he  had  three  sons.  When 
they  had  grown  up,  and  were  trained  as  befits  princes, 
they  came  one  day  to  their  father  and  said :  "  Our 
kingly  father,  permit  us  to  visit  strange  lands,  since 
we  know  our  own  country  well." 

"  Yes,  it  is  proper,"  answered  the  king,  wisely,  "  for 
royal  princes  to  know  more  than  any  of  my  subjects ; 
and  I  permit  what  ye  ask,  but  on  one  condition.  Ye 
are  all  of  an  age  in  which  almost  every  man  seeks  the 
partner  of  his  life ;  and  as  far  as  I  know,  ye  also  will 
do  the  same.  I  have  no  wish  to  tell  you  what  prin- 
cesses to  fall  in  love  with,  but  I  ask  this:  Return 
before  a  year  and  a  day,  and  bring  me  some  gift  — 
not  costly,  but  valued  —  from  your  chosen  ones." 

The  princes  were  astonished  that  their  father  had 
guessed  their  thoughts  so  well,  and  agreed  without 
thinking.  Then  they  took  their  crossbows  and  went 
to  the  open  field.  The  eldest  son  let  the  bow-string 
go,  and  the  arrow  flew  to  the  east.  The  second  let 
the  string  go,  and  the  arrow  flew  to  the  west. 

"And  where  am  I  to  aim?"  cried  the  youngest, 
whose  name  was  Yarmil.  That  moment  a  mouse  ran 


332         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

near  him  to  its  hole;  he  let  the  string  go,  and  the 
arrow  flew  after  the  mouse. 

"  Oh,  thoughtless  fellow !  "  said  the  eldest  prince 
in  rebuke ;  "  now  thou  must  go  to  the  mouse-hole." 

"  It  is  settled,"  answered  Yarmil,  and  shrugged  his 
shoulders. 

They  went  home,  prepared  for  the  road,  and  next 
day  started ;  the  eldest  to  the  east,  the  second  to  the 
west,  and  Yarmil  to  the  mouse-hole.  Up  to  that  mo- 
ment he  had  held  it  merely  a  jest ;  but  how  was  he 
astonished  when  on  nearing  the  place  the  earth 
opened  so  that  he  rode  in  conveniently,  and  sooner 
than  he  could  think  was  in  an  open  country,  in  the 
middle  of  which  stood  a  white  marble  castle.  No- 
where did  he  see  a  living  soul ;  and  he  felt  sure  then 
that  he  would  find  no  one  in  the  castle;  but  scarcely 
had  he  entered  the  gate  when  a  lady  came  forth  to 
meet  him  who  had  not  only  garments,  but  face,  hair, 
eyes,  in  short  everything,  white  as  newly  fallen  snow. 
She  held  by  the  bridle  a  mettlesome  white  steed,  and 
without  saying  a  word,  indicated  to  Yarmil  to  de- 
scend from  his  own  horse  and  sit  on  the  white  one ; 
but  he  had  barely  mounted  the  white  steed  when  it 
rose  with  him  through  the  air,  and  without  heeding 
the  bit,  went  on  till  it  brought  him  to  the  earth  before 
a  splendid  castle.  Yarmil  marvelled,  for  the  castle 
was  so  brilliant  that  he  could  not  look  at  it,  such  was 
the  glitter  of  gold  and  precious  stones.  Around 
about,  wherever  the  eye  could  see,  was  a  beautiful 


The  Mouse-He 


333' 


garden,  in  which  the  most  luxuriant  trees  were  grow- 
ing, the  most  beautiful  flowers  were  in  bloom,  and 
birds  of  every  color  were  singing. 

When  he  had  recovered  from  the  first  surprise, 
Yarmil  dismounted  and  wished  to  lead  the  steed  to 
the  castle ;  but  it  tore  away,  rose  through  the  air,  and 
vanished  like  a  white  dove  in  the  clouds. 

Full  of  expectation  Yarmil  entered  the  castle.  He 
struck  on  the  gate;  no  answer,  but  it  opened  of  it- 
self. He  went  in  on  broad  marble  steps  to  the  door 
of  the  first  chamber.  Again  he  knocked;  no  an- 
swer, but  the  door  opened.  He  entered,  but  how  did 
he  wonder  again !  There  was  such  splendor  that  he 
exclaimed,  "  My  father  is  by  far  the  richest  king, 
but  this  chamber  alone  is  worth  more  than  his 
kingdom." 

But  if  the  first  chamber  was  rich,  the  second  was 
richer;  and  that  splendor  increased  till  he  came  to  the 
eleventh,  where  there  was  a  great  crystal  tub  with 
golden  hoops,  into  which,  through  a  golden  pipe, 
water  still  clearer  than  crystal  was  flowing.  In  the 
twelfth  chamber  were  only  four  naked  walls,  an  ordi- 
nary ceiling,  and  a  common  floor,  but  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor  a  diamond  pan.  When  Yarmil  examined 
more  carefully,  he  saw  written  on  it :  "  Whoever 
.wishes  to  liberate  me  must  carry  me  next  to  his  body, 
and  bathe  me  each  day." 

Urged  by  curiosity  Yarmil  removed  a  diamond, 
then  a  golden,  and  finally,  with  great  effort,  a  silver, 


334         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

cover.  But  how  was  he  frightened  when  under  it 
appeared  a  great  ugly  toad !  He  wished  to  escape, 
but  at  that  moment  such  terror  seized  him  that  in 
spite  of  himself  he  took  the  toad  out  of  the  pan  and 
put  it  in  his  bosom.  The  toad  chilled  him,  but  in  a 
moment  he  was  as  happy  as  if  he  had  liberated  some 
one  from  death.  Straightway  he  went  to  the  eleventh 
chamber,  took  the  toad  from  his  bosom,  and  washed  it 
carefully ;  but  to  his  great  affliction  he  saw  that  it  was 
a  toad,  and  the  more  he  washed  the  uglier  it  grew. 
When  he  had  grown  tired  he  put  it  in  his  bosom 
again  and  went  to  the  garden  to  cheer  himself. 

A  sight  of  the  trees  and  the  flowers  hitherto  unno- 
ticed, the  odor  of  them,  and  the  singing  of  the  birds 
entertained  him  so  that  midday  came  before  he  knew 
it.  He  went  back  to  the  castle,  and  there,  to  his 
great  surprise,  saw  in  the  first  chamber  a  table  cov- 
ered with  the  most  delicate  dishes.  He  sat  down 
with  appetite,  and  when  he  had  eaten  to  his  content, 
and  drunk  of  the  wine  which  an  unseen  hand  had 
placed  before  him  in  a  golden  goblet,  he  confessed 
that  he  had  never  tasted  at  his  father's  table,  or  at  the 
greatest  festivals,  such  delicate  dishes  and  such  good 
wine. 

Now  he  looked  the  room  through  with  more  care ; 
the  splendor  did  not  charm  him  so  much  as  at  first, 
but  the  many  musical  instruments,  writing  imple- 
ments, and  beautiful  books  pleased  him  beyond  meas- 
ure, for  he  was  skilled  in  every  good  art. 


The  Mouse-Hole.  335 

After  the  supper,  which  was  as  good  as  the  dinner, 
he  lay  on  a  soft  bed  and  slept  soundly  till  morning ; 
then  he  ate  a  good  meal,  which  was  on  the  table,  and 
spent  the  time  as  he  had  the  day  before.  He  was 
annoyed  at  his  lonely  life,  but  he  soon  drove  away 
trouble.  He  was  grieved  because  the  more  the  toad 
was  washed  the  uglier  it  grew ;  still  he  washed  it  with 
care,  and  carried  it  in  his  bosom. 

Now  the  year  was  nearing  its  end,  when  he  had 
to  return  to  his  father  with  a  gift  from  his  bride.  He 
walked  like  one  deprived  of  reason  through  the 
castle  and  the  garden;  nothing  could  comfort  him, 
but  still  he  did  not  forget  to  bathe  the  toad  each  day, 
and  with  greater  care.  When  the  last  day  of  the 
year  had  come,  he  knew  not  what  to  begin;  but 
while  walking  through  the  room  he  saw  on  his  writ- 
ing-table a  sheet  of  paper  not  there  before.  He  seized 
it  quickly;  and  on  it  was  written  in  black  letters: 

DEAR  YARMIL,  —  I  love  thee  unspeakably ;  but  be  thou 
patient,  as  I  am  patient.  A  gift  for  thy  father  thou  hast 
in  the  pan ;  give  it  to  him,  but  tarry  not  long  at  home.  Put 
me  back  in  the  pan. 

Yarmil  hastened  with  joy  to  the  twelfth  chamber, 
took  from  the  pan  a  rich  casket  set  with  diamonds, 
and  put  the  toad  in  the  pan ;  then  he  ran  out  quickly, 
mounted  the  white  steed  which  was  waiting,  and 
which  rose  in  the  air  and  flew  regardless  of  bit,  till 
it  stopped  before  the  white  castle;  there  the  white 


336         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

lady  gave  Yarmil  his  horse,  took  the  white  steed,  and 
led  it  away. 

In  a  short  time  Yarmil  came  to  the  great  gate,  and 
when  he  had  ridden  through  and  looked,  there  was 
nothing  behind  but  a  mouse-hole.  Putting  spurs  to 
his  horse  he  rushed  on  at  a  gallop  and  came  to  the 
gate  of  his  father's  castle  almost  at  the  same  moment 
as  his  brothers,  so  that  all  three  were  able  to  appear 
together  before  their  father,  and  say:  "  Here  we  are, 
according  to  thy  command." 

"  But  have  ye  brought  gifts  from  your  princesses?  " 
asked  the  king. 

"  Of  course,"  cried  the  elder  brothers,  proudly. 
Yarmil  answered,  as  it  were,  timidly,  with  a  nod ;  for  he 
knew  not  what  was  in  that  casket  taken  from  the  pan. 

The  king  had  invited  a  great  number  of  guests  to 
look  at  the  gifts.  All  were  in  the  banqueting-hall. 
The  king  led  his  sons  thither,  and  when  the  feast  was 
ended,  he  said  to  the  eldest :  "  Now  give  me  the  gift 
from  thy  princess." 

"  My  love  is  the  daughter  of  a  great  king,"  said 
the  prince,  proudly ;  and  he  gave  his  father  a  casket 
containing  a  small  mirror. 

The  king  looked,  and  wondered  not  a  little  that  he 
saw  his  whole  person.  Then  he  said :  "  Well,  men's 
hands  can  do  everything." 

The  second  son  gave  him  a  still  smaller  mirror,  but 
the  king  saw  in  it  his  whole  person ;  still  he  only  said  : 
"  Men's  hands  can  do  everything.  But  what  has  thy 


The  Mouse-Hole.  337 

princess  sent  me?"  asked  he  of  Yarmil.  In  silence, 
and  timidly,  Yarmil  gave  him  the  casket.  The  king 
barely  looked  in  it  when  he  cried  in  amazement, 
"That  princess  of  thine  has  wealth  in  abundance; 
these  diamonds  alone  have  more  value  than  my  king- 
dom." But  he  wondered  when  he  took  from  the 
casket  another  such  mirror,  but  smaller ;  and  he  was 
really  frightened  when  in  a  twinkle  a  puppet  sprang 
out  and  held  the  glass  for  him  as  soon  as  he  looked 
at  it,  and  the  moment  he  stopped  looking  the  puppet 
was  gone. 

"  Oh,"  cried  the  king,  "  no  hand  of  man  could 
frame  that ;  "  and  embracing  Yarmil,  he  added  with 
tenderness :  "  Thou  hast  brought  me  true  joy,  my 
son." 

Yarmil  called  to  mind  the  ugly  toad,  and  had  no 
regret  now  that  he  had  spent  a  whole  year  with  it ; 
but  his  brothers  and  his  mother,  who  was  a  witch 
and  hated  Yarmil,  were  enraged  though  they  dis- 
sembled. 

When  the  feast  was  over  and  the  princes  were  part- 
ing with  their  father,  he  said :  "  Go  now  with  rejoicing, 
but  return  in  a  year  and  a  day,  and  bring  me  portraits 
of  your  princesses." 

The  elder  brothers  promised  with  joy,  but  Yarmil 
barely  nodded,  for  he  feared  what  his  father  would 
say  should  he  bring  the  toad's  portrait ;  still  he  went 
with  his  brothers  beyond  the  town,  where  he  parted 
with  them,  and  galloped  on  to  the  mouse-hole.  He 

22 


338         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

was  just  drawing  near  when  the  ground  opened  to 
give  a  good  entrance.  At  the  white  castle  the  white 
lady  took  his  horse  and  gave  him  the  white  steed, 
which  rose  through  the  air,  and  regardless  of  bit,  flew 
on  till  it  reached  the  golden  castle.  Yarmil  hurried 
to  the  twelfth  chamber;  the  steed  disappeared  like  a 
dove  in  the  clouds. 

In  the  castle  nothing  was  changed,  and  the  diamond 
pan  was  standing  in  the  twelfth  chamber.  Yarmil 
removed  the  three  covers,  took  out  the  toad  and 
placed  it  in  his  bosom.  Now  he  bathed  it  twice  each 
day,  but  to  his  grief  it  grew  uglier.  How  could  he 
take  the  portrait  of  his  princess  to  his  father  !  He  might 
paint  the  most  beautiful  lady,  because  he  was  very 
well  skilled  in  painting,  but  he  would  not  deceive  his 
father.  Only  the  hope  that  the  toad  would  help  him 
as  before  gave  him  strength  to  endure  the  dreary  life. 

At  last  the  day  was  near  in  which  he  must  return 
to  his  father.  He  looked  continually  on  his  writing- 
table  till  he  saw  to  his  great  joy  a  sheet  of  paper  on 
which  was  written  in  silver  letters,  — 

DEAR  YARMIL,  —  I  love  thee  unspeakably ;  be  patient, 
as  I  am  patient.     Thou  hast  my  portrait  in  the  pan  ;  give, 
it  to  thy  father,  but  tarry  not  long.     Put  me  back  in  the 
pan. 

Yarmil  hastened  to  the  twelfth  chamber,  found  in 
the  pan  a  casket  still  richer  than  the  first.  He  took 
it  quickly,  and  put  the  toad  in  its  place.  Then  he  hur- 


The  Mouse-Hole.  339 


ried  forth,  sat  on  the  white  steed,  which  brought  him 
to  the  white  castle,  where  the  white  lady  gave  him  his 
own  horse.  When  he  had  ridden  through  the  gate 
and  looked  back,  he  saw  nothing  behind  but  a 
mouse-hole.  He  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  rode  to 
the  gate  of  his  father's  castle  at  the  same  time  with 
his  brothers.  They  stood  before  their  father  and 
said :  "  Here  we  are,  as  thou  hast  commanded." 

"Do  ye  bring  me  portraits  of  your  princesses?  " 
asked  the  king. 

"  Of  course !  "  exclaimed  the  two  elder  brothers, 
full  of  pride.  But  Yarmil  only  answered  with  a  nod, 
for  he  knew  not  what  portrait  the  casket  contained. 

The  king  led  them  to  the  banqueting-hall,  where 
the  guests  were  assembled.  When  the  banquet  was 
over,  he  said  to  the  eldest :  "  Now  show  me  the  por- 
trait of  thy  princess." 

The  eldest  brother  gave  a  rich  casket  to  his  father. 
He  opened  it,  took  out  a  portrait,  and  looking  at  it 
from  every  side,  said  at  last :  "  That  is  a  beautiful 
lady ;  she  pleases  me.  Still  there  are  fairer  than  she 
in  the  world,  but  any  man  might  love  her."  Then 
he  gave  the  portrait  to  the  guests,  and  said  to  his 
second  son:  "And  the  portrait  of  thy  princess?" 

The  second  son  gave  him  promptly  a  richer  casket, 
and  smiled  with  happiness.  He  thought  doubtless 
that  his  father  must  be  astonished  at  the  beauty  of 
his  princess ;  but  he  looked  on  her  with  indifference 
and  said :  "  A  beautiful  lady  too,  but  there  are  more 


34-O          Chekh  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

beautiful  in  the  world ;  still  any  man  might  fall  in  love 
with  her." 

Then  he  nodded  to  Yarmil,  who  gave  with  trem- 
bling hand  his  diamond  casket.  Scarcely  had  the 
king  looked  at  it  when  he  exclaimed:  "  Thy  princess 
must  be  rich  beyond  measure ;  thy  casket  is  at  any 
time  worth  twice  my  whole  kingdom."  But  how  was 
he  astonished  when  he  took  out  the  portrait!  He 
looked  fixedly  at  it  for  a  while,  unable  to  utter  a 
word.  Then  he  said  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm, 
"  No ;  such  a  lady  cannot  be  found  in  the  world." 

All  the  guests  crowded  around  the  portrait,  and  in 
one  voice  agreed  with  the  king.  At  last  Yarmil  drew 
near  to  look  at  his  princess,  unknown  till  that  mo- 
ment. Now  he  regretted  no  whit  that  he  had  spent 
two  years  in  lone  life  and  nursing  a  toad;  but  his 
brothers  and  his  mother  were  raging,  and  envied  him 
his  princess. 

Next  day  the  princes  were  taking  farewell,  and  the 
king  said  to  them :  "  After  this  time  I  will  not  let  you 
go  again.  In  a  year  and  a  day  I  wish  to  see  your 
princesses ;  then  we  will  celebrate  the  weddings." 

The  two  elder  brothers  were  shouting  with  joy,  but 
Yarmil  answered  no  word.  They  took  leave  of  their 
father  and  went  together  to  the  edge  of  the  town, 
where  they  separated;  the  eldest  went  to  the  east, 
the  second  to  the  west,  but  Yarmil  to  the  mouse-hole, 
which  opened  quickly  to  give  him  a  convenient  pas- 
sage. At  the  white  castle  the  white  lady  gave  him 


The  Mouse-Hole.  341 


the  white  steed,  which  flew  to  the  golden  castle  re- 
gardless of  bit.  There  Yarmil  descended,  and  the 
steed  vanished  like  a  dove  in  the  clouds. 

Full  of  hope  Yarmil  hastened  to  the  twelfth  cham- 
ber, for  he  trusted  to  find  there  his  wondrous  fair 
princess  whose  portrait  he  had  taken  to  his  father ; 
but  he  found  in  the  pan  the  ugly  toad,  which  he  put 
in  his  bosom,  and  now  washed  three  times  each  day. 
In  vain  was  all  his  labor,  for  the  more  he  bathed  the 
uglier  grew  the  toad.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  por- 
trait he  would  have  fled  from  the  castle,  and  who 
knows  what  he  might  have  done?  Every  day  his 
strength  decreased,  and  when  the  last  day  of  the  year 
drew  near  it  is  a  wonder  that  he  did  not  despair ;  for 
the  toad  had  become  now  not  only  ugly  beyond 
measure,  but  all  mangy,  so  that  he  shivered  when  he 
looked  at  it.  And  now  he  must  bring  this  to  his 
father  as  his  chosen  one. 

"  My  father  will  kill  me  !  "  cried  he  with  grief,  and 
threw  himself  on  the  couch.  He  thought  what  to 
do,  but  could  come  to  no  resolve.  At  last  he 
reached  to  his  bosom  to  look  once  more  at  the  toad, 
hoping  that  at  sight  of  it  a  happy  thought  might 
come;  but  a  new  surprise,  —  the  toad  was  gone. 
Now  he  began  to  lament.  He  ran  through  the  whole 
castle,  searched  every  room,  in  the  garden  every  tree 
and  bush,  but  no  trace  of  the  toad. 

At  last  he  remembered  the  dish  in  the  twelfth 
chamber,  ran  thither,  but  stopped  on  the  threshold 


342          Chekh  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

as  if  thunderstruck ;  for  that  poor  chamber  had  be- 
come a  real  paradise,  and  in  tne  middle  of  it  stood  a 
lady  as  beautiful,  if  not  still  more  beautiful,  than  the 
portrait  which  he  had  carried  to  his  father.  In 
speechless  amazement  he  looked  at  her,  and  who 
knows  how  long  he  might  have  stood  there  had  she 
not  turned  to  him  and  said :  "  My  dear,  thou  hast 
suffered  much;  but  I  am  not  yet  entirely  free,  and 
my  people  are  not.  Hurry  now  to  the  cellar;  here 
is  the  key,  and  do  to  a  hair  what  I  command,  or  it 
will  go  ill  with  us.  When  the  door  is  opened,  thou 
wilt  hear  a  terrible  wailing;  but  listen  to  nothing, 
and  speak  not  a  word.  Go  down  on  the  steps ;  be- 
low thou  wilt  find  on  a  table  twelve  burning  tapers, 
and  before  each  taper  one  shirt.  Roll  up  the  shirts, 
quench  the  tapers,  bring  them  all  with  thee." 

Yarmil  took  the  key.  When  he  opened  the  door 
of  the  cellar  he  heard  such  wailing  that  it  is  a  won- 
der his  heart  did  not  break;  but  mindful  of  what 
had  been  said  by  his  bride,  he  went  boldly,  de- 
scended the  steps,  rolled  up  the  twelve  shirts, 
quenching  at  each  one,  one  taper ;  then  he  took  the 
shirts  and  the  tapers  and  hurried  back.  But  how  did 
he  wonder  when  he  saw  a  man  nailed  to  the  door  by 
his  tongue !  The  man  begged  Yarmil  by  all  things 
to  set  him  free,  so  that  there  was  a  strange  feeling  in 
Yarmil's  heart;  but  after  short  hesitation  he  mastered 
this  feeling,  and  shut  the  door. 

When  he  came  to  his  bride  and  gave  her  the  shirts, 


The  Mouse-Hole.  343 


with  the  tapers,  she  said :  "  These  twelve  shirts  are 
my  twelve  skins,  in  which  I  was  a  toad ;  and  these 
twelve  tapers  burned  me  continually.  Now  I  am 
liberated,  it  is  true ;  but  it  will  be  three  years  before 
I  shall  be  completely  free.  Know  that  I  am  the 
daughter  of  a  mighty  king,  whom  that  foul  monster, 
who  is  nailed  to  the  cellar  door  by  the  tongue, 
changed  into  a  toad  because  I  refused  him  my  hand. 
He  is  a  wizard ;  but  there  is  a  witch  more  powerful 
than  he.  To  punish  him,  she  nailed  him  to  that 
door;  I,  too,  am  still  in  her  power.  Now  promise 
that  for  three  years  thou  wilt  tell  no  living  person 
into  what  creature  I  was  enchanted ;  but  especially 
tell  not  how  many  skins  I  had." 

"  Not  even  to  my  own  mother !  "  exclaimed  Yarmil, 
with  excitement. 

"  It  is  just  from  thy  own  mother  that  thou  must 
hide  it  most,  for  she  is  a  witch,  and  hates  thee ;  she 
knows  long  since  that  thou  art  three  years  with  me, 
and  most  carefully  will  she  try  to  learn  from  thee  just 
what  I  have  forbidden  thee  to  tell." 

Yarmil  was  greatly  grieved,  but  the  princess  soon 
cheered  him,  especially  when  she  said :  "  It  is  now 
high  time  to  go,  so.  as  to  come  to  thy  father's  at  the 
right  moment."  Then  she  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  led  him  down  the  stairs.  In  front  of  the  castle  a 
carriage  with  four  white  horses  was  waiting;  when 
they  entered,  the  horses  rushed  off  with  such  speed 
that  soon  they  passed  the  white  castle.  Yarmil  was 


344         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

going  to  ask  who  the  white  lady  was,  when  the 
princess  said :  "  That  is  my  mother,  who  has  aided 
in  my  liberation." 

Soon  they  were  at  the  great  gate ;  and  when  they 
had  passed  it,  and  looked  back,  there  was  nothing 
but  a  mouse-hole.  They  arrived  at  the  king's  castle 
just  in  the  same  moment  with  the  two  elder  brothers 
and  their  princesses.  But  no  one  looked  at  them, 
for  the  eyes  of  all  were  turned  to  Yarmil's  bride. 

The  king  was  rejoiced  most  of  all.  He  conducted 
ithe  bride  to  the  banqueting-hall,  where  there  was  a 
:multitude  of  guests,  and  with  tears  of  delight  he  ex- 
.:alted  the  happiness  of  his  favorite  son ;  but  the  elder 
princes  and  the  queen  were  enraged,  though  they 
would  not  let  it  be  known. 

On  the  following  day  came  the  weddings  of  the 
'three  princes ;  though  Yarmil  and  his  bride  were  the 
"last,  still  glory  came  only  to  them.  At  the  banquet 
the  guests  drank  continually  to  the  health  of  his 
bride,  so  that  the  other  princesses  were  purple  from 
shame. 

When  Yarmil  was  almost  reeling  with  delight,  the 
queen  drew  near  him,  and  praised  with  great  flattery 
the  beauty  of  his  bride ;  but  all  at  once  she  spoke  of 
her  origin,  and  in  every  way  tried  to  discover  whence 
she  had  come. 

Yarmil  at  first  evaded  her  questions ;  but  when  she 
urged  him  vehemently  to  tell  from  what  land  came  his 
bride,  he  said :  "  Dear  mother,  I  will  do  everything 


The  Mouse-Hole.  345 

according  to  thy  wish,  but  of  this  one  thing  ask 
me  not." 

"  I  know  well  whence  she  comes,"  smiled  the 
queen ;  "  I  know,  too,  that  thou  didst  not  see  her 
first  in  her  present  form." 

"  Of  course  not;  but  I  am  proud  that  I  liberated 
her." 

"  Oh,  my  dear  son  !  "  exclaimed  the  queen,  compas- 
sionately. "  I  pity  thee  greatly  for  letting  thyself  be 
so  duped ;  but  dost  thou  know  that  that  beauty  of 
hers  is  pure  deceit?" 

"Why?"  asked  Yarmil  in  fright. 

"  Because  she  is  a  witch,"  whispered  the  queen  in 
his  ear,  with  an  anxious  look.  "  There  is  still  time," 
continued  she,  when  she  saw  that  Yarmil  as  it  were 
believed,  "  to  extricate  thyself  from  her  snares ;  and  I 
wish  to  aid  thee  in  every  way.  But  thou  must  tell 
me  what  form  she  had  before." 

Yarmil  said  that  he  would  not  tell,  but  the  queen 
did  not  abandon  her  plan.  When  she  could  not  dis- 
cover from  him  directly,  she  began  to  name  every 
kind  of  beast,  looking  with  exceeding  quickness  at 
his  face.  Yarmil  shook  his  head  unceasingly,  but 
was  confused  when  she  said  "  toad." 

"  Then  she  was  a  toad  before,"  cried  in  horror  the 
queen.  "  Ah  !  dear  son,  it  is  ill,  very  ill  with  thee ; 
but  it  may  be  well  yet  if  only  I  know  in  how  many 
skins  she  was  living." 

Again  Yarmil  answered   decidedly  that  he  would 


346         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

not  tell,  but  the  queen  tried  so  long  that  at  last  she 
discovered.  Now  she  knew  what  she  wanted,  and 
went  from  Yarmil.  It  is  a  wonder  that  he  was  not 
suspicious,  but  he  said  nothing  to  the  princess. 

Next  morning  a  number  of  guests  went  with  the 
king  and  his  sons  to  the  chase,  and  stayed  in  the  forest 
till  evening;  thus  the  queen  could  act  freely. 

While  the  three  princesses  and  the  remaining 
guests  were  walking  in  the  garden,  she  stole  into  the 
chamber  of  Yarmil's  bride,  found  the  twelve  shirts 
and  the  tapers,  hid  them  in  her  own  apartments,  and 
in  the  evening,  when  the  king  had  returned  from  the 
chase  and  all  were  sitting  in  the  banqueting-hall  at 
table,  she  went  to  the  garden,  where  she  burned  the 
shirts  and  the  tapers.  At  that  moment  Yarmil's 
bride  felt  great  faintness,  so  that  she  went  for  fresh 
air  in  the  garden. 

Yarmil  hurried  after  her,  but  he  had  scarcely  gone 
through  the  door,  when  she  cried :  "  Woe  is  me, 
Yarmil !  Thou  hast  told  what  I  forbade  thee  to  tell. 
Forget  me ;  I  must  now  to  the  glass  mountain,  from 
which  there  is  no  liberation."  Straightway  she  van- 
ished in  the  darkness  of  night. 

Yarmil  remained  a  moment  as  if  paralyzed ;  then 
he  ran  through  the  garden  as  if  he  had  lost  his 
wits,  and  called  his  bride  by  the  most  endearing 
names,  but  in  vain.  The  guests  ran  out  at  the  sound 
of  his  lamentation,  and  were  greatly  terrified  when 
Yarmil  told  his  misfortune.  The  queen  also  came 


The  Mouse-Hole.  347 


quickly,  and  listened  as  if  with  terrified  wonder  to 
what  had  happened. 

"  That  was  a  witch,"  said  she ;  "  and  't  is  well  that 
other  mishaps  have  not  come." 

But  the  king  was  grieved  more  than  all,  and  put 
an  end  to  the  rejoicing.  Next  day  the  two  elder 
brothers  went  away  with  their  brides,  and  poor  Yar- 
mil  stayed  home  alone.  In  vain  did  his  father  try  to 
comfort  him ;  in  vain  did  he  promise  that  he  would 
go  himself  to  seek  another  bride  for  him.  Yarmil 
was  not  to  be  consoled ;  and  when  the  first  onrush  of 
sorrow  had  passed,  he  resolved  to  go  to  the  glass 
mountain  for  his  bride. 

"  In  what  direction  wilt  thou  go  ?  "  objected  his 
father.  "  While  I  live  no  one  has  heard  of  a  glass 
mountain." 

"  Still  I  will  go,"  said  Yarmil,  firmly.  "  It  will  come 
to  the  same  whether  I  perish  on  the  road  or  at  home ; 
in  any  event  I  shall  die  of  disappointment." 

The  king  tried  in  all  ways  to  dissuade  him  from 
going,  but  Yarmil  would  not  let  him  talk.  He 
mounted  his  horse,  dropped  the  reins,  and  let  him 
go  whithersoever  he  would.  He  travelled  long  in 
this  objectless  way,  hither  and  thither;  but  at  last 
he  saw  that  he  must  act  differently  if  he  meant  to 
reach  the  glass  mountain.  But  now  came  his  real 
trouble ;  for  wherever  he  asked  about  the  glass  moun- 
tain, people  stared  at  him,  and  said  that  there  was  no 
such  mountain  in  the  world.  Yarmil  did  not  let  him- 


348         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

self  be  frightened;  and  now  he  galloped  the  more 
eagerly  on  his  horse,  and  asked  the  more  carefully 
everywhere.  He  had  passed  through  towns  without 
number,  but  still  no  one  knew  of  a  glass  mountain. 
At  last  he  heard  the  name. 

In  a  certain  town  there  was  a  juggler,  —  a  show- 
man with  every  kind  of  wonder.  Yarmil  was  just 
going  past  him  at  the  moment  when  he  cried  out : 
"  The  witch  with  her  twelve  daughters  on  the  glass 
mountain !  " 

Yarmil  called  the  juggler  aside  and  said :  "  Here  are 
ten  goldpieces,  tell  me  where  the  glass  mountain  is." 
"I  am  a  poor  man,"  said  the  juggler,   honestly, 
"and  need   these   goldpieces  greatly;    but   I   know 
nothing  of  the  glass  mountain." 

"Nor  in  what  country  it  is?"  asked  Yarmil,  im- 
patiently. 

"I  know  that,"  answered  the  man.  "It  is  in  the 
east,  but  they  say  it  is  very  far  off;  and  besides,  they 
say  that  no  one  can  go  within  twenty  miles  of  it." 

Yarmil  threw  the  ten  goldpieces  into  the  juggler's 
cap,  and  putting  spurs  to  his  horse  galloped  off  to  the 
east.  Many  a  time  did  the  sun  rise  and  set  before 
he  reached  the  glass  mountain.  But  what  good  did 
it  do  him  to  go  there?  Around  the  mountain  flowed 
an  immensely  great  river,  and  on  the  bridge  which 
was  across  it  stood  on  guard  three  very  fierce  giants. 
Yarmil's  courage  fell.  That  moment  the  white 
lady  from  the  white  castle  appeared  suddenly  before 


The  Mouse-Hole.  349 


him  and  said :  "  Bind  thy  horse's  hoofs  with  thy  coat, 
and  go  very  carefully  over  the  bridge.  The  giant 
who  stands  on  watch  will  see  thee  only  when  thou 
art  in  front  of  him,  and  will  start  after  thee ;  but  throw 
behind  this  dust  and  nothing  will  harm  thee.  Do  the 
same  for  the  second  and  third  giant."  She  gave  him 
three  packages  of  dust,  and  said :  "  Beyond  the  river 
is  a  mill  in  which  they  give  a  witch  to  grind.  Ask 
the  miller  for  a  night's  lodging ;  he  will  give  it  thee, 
and  invite  thee  to  supper.  Towards  the  end  of  the 
supper  the  cook  will  bring  him  a  roast  cock,  and  to 
that  he  will  not  invite  thee ;  he  eats  it  all  himself.  The 
bones  of  it  he  leaves  on  the  plate  and  the  cook  must 
throw  them  under  the  wheel ;  but  tell  her  to  hide  them 
for  thee.  And  when  it  will  be  midnight,  go  to  the  glass 
mountain  and  put  the  bones  before  thee ;  but  be  care- 
ful to  save  one  till  thou  art  on  the  summit,  then  throw 
that  last  one  back  over  thy  head." 

The  moment  the  lady  had  finished,  she  disappeared. 
Yarmil  sprang  from  his  horse,  tore  his  coat  into  four 
pieces,  and  with  them  muffled  the  feet  of  his  horse; 
then  he  mounted  and  rode  cautiously  to  the  bridge. 
The  first  giant  was  sitting  with  his  back  to  him  and 
dozing.  Yarmil  passed  him  safely ;  but  that  moment 
the  giant  woke,  and  howled  with  a  terrible  voice  to 
him  to  come  back.  Here  Yarmil  threw  the  dust  be- 
hind, and  that  moment  there  was  such  darkness  that 
it  hid  the  giant  completely.  The  same  happened 
with  the  second  and  third  giant,  and  Yarmil  crossed 


350        Chekh  Myths  and  Folk'-Tales. 

the  river  safely.  Not  far  off  was  the  mill,  and  the 
miller  stood  just  on  the  threshold. 

"What  dost  thou  wish  here?  "  growled  he  at 
Yarmil. 

"  Oh,  grant  me  a  night's  lodging,"  said  Yarmil ;  "  I 
am  a  traveller  from  distant  lands." 

"  I  '11  give  thee  nothing,"  answered  the  miller, 
roughly,  "  for  if  I  did  I  should  lose  my  place." 

Yarmil  begged  again,  and  begged  so  long  that  the 
miller  asked :  "  Whence  art  thou  ?  "  Yarmil  told  him  ; 
and  the  miller,  meditating  awhile,  said :  "  Well,  if  thou 
art  the  son  of  so  powerful  a  king,  I  will  give  thee  a 
night's  lodging;  for  we  are  from  the  same  country, 
and  I  knew  thy  father  very  well." 

Then  he  led  him  to  a  sitting-room ;  and  since  it  was 
just  dark,  he  asked  him  to  supper.  Yarmil  watched 
continually  to  see  if  the  cock  would  soon  come  to  the 
table,  and  he  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  miller  grew 
sullen,  and  without  speaking  a  word  ate  the  cock. 
Yarmil  went  out,  and  pressing  a  few  goldpieces  into 
the  hands  of  the  cook,  begged  her  to  hide  the  bones 
of  the  cock  for  him.  The  moment  the  cook  saw 
the  goldpieces  she  was  glad  to  agree. 

When  the  miller  had  picked  the  cock  he  called  the 
cook  and  ordered  her  strictly  to  throw  the  bones 
under  the  wheel.  The  cook  took  the  plate  and  mo- 
tioning as  if  she  had  thrown  them  into  the  water,  put 
them  very  adroitly  into  her  apron;  when  all  were 
asleep  she  gave  them  to  Yarmil.  He  waited  quietly 


The  Mouse-Hole.  351 


till  the  approach  of  midnight,  then  he  went  out  cau- 
tiously and  made  for  the  glass  mountain  with  his 
horse.  Full  of  expectation  he  took  out  the  first  bone 
and  put  it  on  the  mountain ;  and  behold  !  in  a  moment 
a  step  was  made  so  that  he  could  walk  comfortably  on 
it,  and  so  it  happened  with  every  bone.  Yarmil  was 
already  at  the  summit  and  only  one  bone  remained 
to  him ;  this  he  threw  with  all  his  power  over  his  head, 
and  in  a  twinkle  there  was  a  pleasant  highway  along 
which  his  horse  ran  after  him  with  ease. 

All  wearied,  Yarmil  fell  down  at  the  castle,  in  which 
lived  the  sorceress  with  the  twelve  princesses  her 
daughters,  and  he  soon  fell  asleep.  When  he  woke 
the  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens ;  and  before  he  could 
think  what  further  to  do,  his  own  princess  came  to  him. 

"  I  told  thee,"  said  she,  reproachfully,  "  to  forget 
me;  but  thou  didst  not  obey." 

"  Hide  me  somewhere  quickly  from  the  sorceress ; 
in  the  night  we  will  flee." 

"  Simple  man  !  "  said  the  princess  smiling.  "  She 
knows  long  ago  that  thou  art  here ;  rather  go  to  her, 
but  be  polite  beyond  measure.  At  dinner,  rise  after 
each  dish  and  walk  through  the  room,  otherwise  thou 
wilt  stay  here  for  the  ages." 

Yarmil  had  to  obey.  When  he  came  to  the  sor- 
ceress he  bowed  low  before  her,  and  said :  "  Great 
mighty  lady,  I  have  come  for  my  bride." 

"  I  will  give  her  to  thee,"  smiled  the  sorceress,  "  but 
first  thou  must  serve  me  three  years." 


352         Check  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  I  am  glad  to  do  everything  thou  mayest  desire," 
said  Yarmil  bowing;  and  the  sorceress  answered  gra- 
ciously, inviting  him  at  once  to  the  table,  to  which 
just  then  one  of  the  princesses  brought  the  first  dish. 
Yarmil  ate  with  a  relish ;  but  when  he  had  finished, 
he  said  to  the  sorceress :  "  Permit  me,  great  mighty 
lady,  to  walk  a  little.  I  have  travelled  so  much  that  I 
fear  my  legs  will  lose  their  power." 

"  Oh,  walk  if  it  please  thee,"  answered  the  sor- 
ceress, but  her  eyes  glittered  with  anger.  And 
Yarmil  did  the  same  after  each  dish,  and  the  sorceress 
was  ready  to  split  from  rage.  Next  day  she  gave 
,  him  a  wooden  axe  and  saw,  and  said :  "  Thou  must 
clear  all  that  forest  over  there,  or  be  the  son  of 
Death." 

Yarmil  took  the  axe  and  the  saw,  and  went  on.  In 
the  forest  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground  and 
thought  of  death ;  for  such  a  stretch  of  forest  no 
man  could  clear  alone,  still  less  with  such  tools.  At 
midday  his  princess  brought  him  dinner. 

"  Ah !  "  scolded  she,  "  thou  art  not  working  dili- 
gently." 

"  Why  trouble  myself  for  nothing?  "  sighed  Yarmil. 

"  Only  be  of  good  courage,"  said  the  princess,  com- 
forting him.  "It  is  not  so  bad  to-day;  it  will  be 
worse  to-morrow." 

Then  she  gave  him  dinner ;  and  when  Yarmil  had 
eaten,  he  put  his  head  on  her  lap  and  fell  asleep 
soundly.  Then  the  princess  took  out  of  her  bosom 


The  Mouse-Hole.  353 

some  kind  of  powder,  and  muttering  mysterious 
words  she  threw  it  in  the  air.  And  wonder  of  won- 
ders !  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  invisible  hands  began 
to  fell  the  aged  trees,  cut,  split,  and  pile,  so  that  in  a 
short  time  the  whole  forest  was  felled. 

Now  Yarmil  woke  up,  and  hurried  with  the  prin- 
cess to  the  castle.  The  sorceress  praised  him ;  she 
suppressed  her  rage  with  difficulty,  and  said :  "  Thou 
hast  worked  out  thy  first  year  in  order." 

Next  day  the  sorceress  gave  him  a  spade  and  a 
wheelbarrow,  and  said :  "  Thou  must  carry  away  that 
mountain  out  there,  or  be  the  son  of  Death." 

Yarmil  went  with  his  tools  to  the  hill,  but  when 
there  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground,  for  a  thousand 
men  would  not  have  been  able  to  carry  off  the  hill  in 
ten  years.  At  midday  his  princess  brought  him  din- 
ner, and  said :  "  Oh,  thou  art  working  as  diligently 
as  yesterday !  " 

"  I  am,"  sighed  Yarmil. 

"  Only  be  of  good  cheer,"  said  the  princess,  com- 
forting him.  "  To-day  it  is  not  so  bad ;  it  will  be 
worse  to-morrow." 

When  Yarmil  had  eaten,  he  put  his  head  on  her 
lap  and  fell  asleep.  The  princess  again  threw  into 
the  air  a  powder  of  some  kind,  muttering  mysterious 
words;  and  straightway  unseen  hands  began  to  work 
so  vigorously  that  in  a  short  time  the  hill  was  car- 
ried away. 

Then  Yarmil  woke  up,  and  hurried  to  the  sorceress 
23 


354         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

to  tell  her  he  had  done  what  she  had  commanded. 
She  flamed  up  in  anger,  but  nevertheless  said  :  "  Thou 
hast  worked  the  second  year  of  thy  service  in  order." 

Next  day  she  gave  him  a  tailor's  thimble,  and  said : 
"  Thou  must  bail  out  that  fish-pond,  or  be  the  son  of 
Death." 

Yarmil  took  the  thimble  and  went.  At  the  fish- 
pond, however,  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground  and 
waited  for  the  princess.  She  came  sooner  than  usual ; 
and  when  Yarmil,  strengthened  with  food,  had  fallen 
-asleep  with  his  head  on  her  lap,  she  threw  powder  in 
the  air,  muttering  mysterious  words.  Soon  the  water 
began  to  disappear  from  the  fish-pond.  Now  she 
roused  Yarmil,  and  said  to  him :  "  Draw  thy  sword, 
and  give  good  care.  When  all  the  water  is  gone 
from  the  pond  the  sorceress  will  take  the  shape  of  a 
rain-storm,  and  try  to  destroy  us ;  but  look  well  at 
the  darkness,  and  where  it  is  blackest  strike  there 
with  thy  sword." 

Yarmil  promised  to  do  so,  and  had  barely  drawn 
his  sword  when  a  black  darkness  rushed  from  the 
castle,  —  but  almost  on  the  ground,  so  that  Yarmil 
could  strike  the  blackest  spot  with  ease.  At  that 
moment  the  darkness  turned  into  the  sorceress,  and 
Yarmil's  sword  stuck  in  her  heart.  With  fearful  curs- 
ing, she  fell  to  the  earth  and  died.  Yarmil  hurried  to 
the  castle  with  the  princess,  mounted  his  horse,  and 
rushed  off  at  a  swift  gallop. 

He  had  to  travel  far  before  he  came  to  his  father's 


The  Mouse-Hole.  355 

castle ;  but  to  make  up,  there  was  joy  unspeakable  at 
the  happy  meeting.  The  queen  was  terrified  when 
she  saw  them,  and  she  had  reason ;  for  when  Yarmil 
told  all  to  his  father  the  king  gave  her  to  be  burned 
without  mercy. 

When  the  feasting  was  over  Yarmil  set  out  with 
his  wife  on  the  journey  to  their  kingdom.  When 
they  came  to  the  mouse-hole  it  was  no  longer  a 
mouse-hole,  but  a  magnificent  gate  leading  to  a  great 
city,  in  the  middle  of  which  stood  a  golden  castle  on 
a  hill;  and  in  that  city  there  were  multitudes  of 
people  everywhere,  and  in  the  castle  throngs  of  cour- 
tiers and  servants,  who  greeted  with  mighty  applause 
their  master  and  mistress,  thanking  Yarmil  at  the 
same  time  for  their  liberation. 

Now  followed  feasting,  which  lasted  for  eight  whole 
days ;  and  when  the  feasting  was  over  they  all  lived 
happily  beyond  measure,  because  the  royal  pair  were 
goodness  itself. 


THE  CUIRASSIER  AND   THE  HORNED 
PRINCESS. 

JN  a  certain  town  were  encamped  a  regiment  of 
cuirassiers,  and  they  had  a  very  unpleasant  life. 
Twelve  men  of  them  agreed  to  desert,  —  three  ser- 
geants and  nine  from  the  ranks.  They  carried  out 
their  plan ;  and  when  they  had  gone  a  good  distance, 
one  said  to  the  rest :  "  Let  us  look,  brothers,  and  see 
if  we  are  not  pursued."  Another  dismounted,  and 
climbed  a  high  tree,  —  "  Oh  !  they  are  searching; 
but  they  will  not  overtake  us,  for  we  are  far  in  ad- 
vance of  them."  Then  he  came  down,  mounted  his 
horse,  and  all  rode  rapidly  on,  —  rode  till  dusk. 
Then  the  chief  man  said :  "  Where  shall  we  go  for 
the  night,  brothers?  Around  here  we  see  nothing 
but  mountains  and  forests." 

One  of  them  climbed  a  tree  again  to  look  for  a 
light.  He  saw  one,  and  called  to  his  comrades, 
"  Look  out!  We  will  ride  in  the  direction  in  which 
I  throw  this  sword,  for  I  see  a  light  there." 

All  rode  toward  the  light,  and  came  to  a  very  large 
building  in  the  wild  mountains.  At  the  first  glance 
they  saw  it  was  an  enormous  castle,  which  was  open. 
They  entered  the  court,  led  their  horses  to  the  stable, 
— where  oats  were  ready  for  twelve  horses, — and  then 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.      357 

went  themselves  into  a  hall  where  a  table  was  laid  for 
twelve  persons,  so  that  all  might  sit  down  and  eat ; 
but  there  was  not  a  living  soul  to  be  seen. 

"  Brothers,"  said  one  of  them,  "  may  we  touch  this 
food  and  drink?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  the  chief.  "  What  if  we  have  to 
pay  a  few  ducats  for  the  entertainment?" 

They  sat  down,  and  ate  with  good  relish.  After 
they  had  eaten  and  drunk,  an  old  sorceress  slipped 
in  and  saluted  them,  saying :  "  Good  evening,  gentle- 
men. I  greet  you  in  this  our  famous  castle.  Did  the 
supper  taste  well  ?  " 

"  We  ate  with  pleasure,"  answered  one  in  the  name 
of  all,  "  only  we  were  a  little  afraid  how  it  would 
end." 

"  Fear  not,  fear  not,  I  am  glad  ye  are  strengthened 
after  the  long  ride,"  said  the  sorceress ;  and  then  she 
said  further :  "  Now  of  course  ye  will  need  good  beds, 
so  as  to  refresh  yourselves  with  grateful  sleep.  In 
the  next  chamber  are  twelve  beds  and  twelve  caskets. 
Lie  on  the  beds  prepared  for  you,  but  let  no  man 
dare,  on  pain  of  great  punishment,  to  look  at  the  cas- 
kets, which  are  unlocked." 

All  went  to  the  next  chamber ;  the  sorceress  gave 
them  good-night  and  went  out  through  the  opposite 
door.  In  the  morning  when  they  rose  everything  was 
well  prepared  for  them,  —  basins  with  water  and  towels, 
and  food  for  each  man.  After  breakfast  they  spoke 
of  the  good  cheer  which  they  had  not  expected  to  find 


358          Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


in  the  castle.  They  spoke  of  various  subjects  till  they 
came  to  the  caskets,  and  the  splendid  things  that  must 
be  therein.  Some  expressed  great  curiosity;  some 
were  heard  to  say  that  they  could  not  refrain  till 
evening  from  looking  in  the  caskets ;  others  warned 
their  comrades  not  to  do  that  which  they  might 
regret. 

They  had  a  pleasant  time  all  day  at  the  castle,  an 
excellent  dinner,  a  good  lunch,  a  splendid  supper. 
After  supper  they  went  to  bed.  The  sun  was  shining 
brightly  through  the  windows  next  morning,  but  no 
man  was  stirring. 

The  chief  rose  and  called  the  others,  saying,  "  It  is 
time  to  be  up."  Only  two  gave  answer ;  the  rest  did 
not  move.  These  three  went  to  the  beds  and  found 
their  comrades  lifeless.  All  were  terrified,  and  went 
to  the  stable  to  look  at  their  horses.  In  the  stable 
they  found  the  nine  dead  horses,  of  the  nine  dead 
men. 

"  What  shall  we  do?"  asked  one  of  them.  "  We 
must  leave  this  place  where  our  comrades  have  per- 
ished ;  nothing  can  comfort  us  again." 

They  returned  to  the  hall  where  breakfast  was 
ready  for  only  three.  They  sat  down  and  ate.  After 
eating,  the  sorceress  came  again,  and  said :  "  Ye 
see,  my  friends,  that  sinful  curiosity  has  cost  those 
nine  men  their  lives.  They  could  withstand  it  no 
longer,  rose  at  midnight,  opened  the  caskets,  and 
looked  at  the  contents ;  scarcely  had  they  lain  down 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.       359 

again  when  sudden  death  overtook  them.  Had  they 
followed  my  advice,  as  ye  have,  all  might  have  had  a 
pleasant  time,  and  lived  joyously  here  a  whole  year. 
Now  I  see  by  your  faces  that  nothing  can  comfort 
you  here,  and  that  ye  would  gladly  go  away." 

"  Yes,"  answered  one,  "  we  fear  to  remain  longer 
in  this  place,  where  our  comrades  died  a  sudden 
death." 

"There  is  nothing  to  fear,"  said  the  sorceress; 
"  but  since  it  is  unpleasant  for  you,  I  will  not  keep 
you.  Go  where  ye  like,  but  before  going  each  may 
look  without  fear  or  danger  in  his  casket,  and  take 
the  things  inside  to  remember  me  by ;  they  may  be 
useful." 

The  men  were  afraid  at  first  to  open  the  caskets, 
having  before  their  eyes  the  sad  example  of  their 
comrades ;  but  when  the  sorceress  assured  them  again 
and  again  that  they  might  open  them  without  fear  and 
take  out  the  contents,  they  grew  bold  and  opened 
them.  The  first  took  from  his  casket  a  cap,  which 
the  sorceress  said  had  such  power  that  whoever  put  it 
on  his  head  no  man  could  see  him.  The  second  drew 
from  his  casket  a  mantle,  and  whoever  put  it  on,  the 
sorceress  said,  could  fly  through  the  air  as  high  as 
he  wished.  The  third  took  a  purse  which  had  the 
power  that  whenever  it  was  shaken  ten  ducats  were 
in  it. 

The  sorceress  bade  them  good-by.  They  thanked 
her  for  the  hospitality  and  useful  presents,  and 


360         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

saddling  their  horses,  rode  away  from  that  castle  with 
the  Lord  God. 

They  travelled  long,  and  on  the  road  kept  telling 
what  a  good  time  they  would  have  with  their  gifts. 
At  last  they  came  to  a  large  town,  took  up  their  lodg- 
ing at  an  inn,  and  asked  what  there  was  strange  in  the 
place.  The  innkeeper  answered :  "  Nothing,  unless 
it  be  that  we  have  a  princess  immeasurably  fond 
of  playing  cards,  and  who  says  that  no  one  is  able 
to  play  with  her.  She  vanquishes  every  comer,  and 
then  has  him  flogged  out  of  the  castle." 

The  man  who  had  the  purse  thought,  "  Wait  a 
while,  I  '11  settle  thy  play."  He  made  ready  straight- 
way, and  went  to  the  castle.  He  had  himself  an- 
nounced, and  declared  that  he  wished  to  play  with  the 
princess.  Meanwhile  the  other  two  ate  and  drank 
well  in  the  inn. 

The  princess  was  glad  to  find  some  one  again  with 
whom  to  play  cards  and  whom  she  might  overcome. 
She  had  him  brought  in  without  delay.  The  game 
began.  The  man  lost;  but  he  didn't  mind  that,  for 
whenever  he  lost  he  shook  the  purse  and  had  ten 
ducats  again.  So  he  kept  losing  and  shaking  the 
purse  till  the  princess  was  astonished,  and  thought  to 
herself:  "  Where  dost  thou  get  all  these  ducats,  good 
man?  Thou  hast  not  a  treasury  at  thy  side,  and  still 
thou  hast  plenty  of  money.  How  dost  thou  get  it?" 

She  watched  him  and  saw  that  he  shook  the  purse 
on  his  knee,  from  which  he  took  the  ducats.  She 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.       361 

had  already  won  a  great  bag  of  ducats,  but  still  was 
not  able  to  win  all  he  had.  She  kept  thinking  how 
to  get  that  magic  purse.  "  Now  let  us  rest  a  little," 
said  she,  and  went  to  the  next  room,  from  which  she 
brought  two  goblets  of  wine.  One  she  gave  him  and 
drank  the  other  herself,  for  they  were  tired  and 
needed  refreshment.  Her  wine  was  pure,  but  in  his 
she  put  a  sleeping-powder.  She  drank  to  his  health, 
and  he  emptied  his  goblet  at  a  draught.  After  a 
while  he  was  so  very  drowsy  that  he  slipped  from 
the  seat,  dropped  under  the  table,  and  fell  soundly 
asleep.  That  was  his  misfortune.  The  princess  took 
the  magic  purse  and  gave  him  one  like  it  containing 
ten  ducats. 

When  he  woke  up  the  princess  said  to  him :  "  Now 
let  us  play  again."  They  played  while  he  had 
ducats.  When  the  ducats  were  gone  he  shook  and 
shook  the  purse,  but  in  vain.  The  princess  said: 
"  Well,  my  dear  man,  since  thou  hast  no  money,  go. 
But  that  disgrace  which  I  have  put  on  others  I  will 
not  put  on  thee.  I  will  not  have  thee  flogged  out  of 
the  castle  because  I  have  won  much  money  from 
thee;  go  in  peace." 

He  went  to  his  friends  in  great  trouble.  They 
greeted  him  from  afar,  and  called  out :  "  Well,  how 
didst  thou  prosper?" 

"  Oh,  badly,  very  badly,  brothers ;  I  no  longer  have 
the  purse ;  I  lost  that." 

"  Oh,  comrade,  that   is   bad ;   how   shall   we   live 


362         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

now?  We  are  in  debt  for  food  and  drink,  and  have 
nothing  to  pay  with." 

The  one  who  had  the  magic  mantle  said :  "  Do  ye 
know  what,  brothers?  I  '11  take  a  good  vengeance  on 
that  wicked  woman !  " 

"  But  how?  "  was  the  question. 

He  answered,  "  This  is  how  I  '11  do  it.  Let  me  have 
thy  cap  so  that  no  one  may  see  me,  and  I  '11  take  my 
mantle.  When  the  princess  is  going  to  church  I  '11 
seize  her,  fly  with  her  through  the  air  to  desert  regions, 
so  far  away  that  she  will  never  be  able  to  come  home 
again." 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  a  just  punishment  for  her,"  said 
the  two  others.  The  third  one  immediately  took  the 
cap,  wrapped  the  mantle  around  him,  and  waited  for 
the  princess.  As  she  was  going  along  the  street  he 
seized  her,  flew  far  away  with  her  to  wild  moun- 
tains, and  let  her  down  there  on  the  ground  near  a 
pear-tree.  On  that  tree  were  beautiful  pears. 

The  princess  begged  the  man  to  climb  the  tree  and 
shake  it,  so  that  she  might  have  some  of  the  fruit  to 
eat.  "  I  '11  gratify  thee  just  once,"  said  he.  But  he 
was  so  cunning  that  he  did  not  leave  the  cap  or 
magic  mantle  on  the  ground,  but  took  them  up  on 
the  tree,  hung  them  both  on  a  limb,  and  shook  the 
tree  with  all  his  might.  The  cap  and  the  mantle 
fell  to  the  ground  before  the  pears.  The  princess 
put  the  cap  on  her  head  at  once,  wrapped  the 
mantle  around  her,  and  was  off  in  an  instant,-^ 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.       363 

sooner  than  the  man  on  the  tree  had  recovered  from 
his  fright. 

He  was  now  alone  in  the  wild  mountains.  What 
was  he  to  do  ?  He  stood  motionless  as  the  tree  at  his 
side,  as  if  senseless  from  a  thunderbolt;  he  had  no 
longer  magic  cap  or  magic  mantle.  "  Oh,  where 
shall  I  go?"  groaned  he,  and  walked  around  on  the 
mountains.  In  his  trouble  and  fright  he  picked  up 
some  pears  and  ate  them.  Then  other  terrible  mis- 
eries came  upon  him,  for  he  had  barely  eaten  the  pears 
when  unheard  of  gigantic  horns  grew  out  of  his  head, 
so  that  he  could  not  walk  through  the  woods  nor 
turn  around ;  the  horns  stopped  him  everywhere ;  he 
could  barely  crawl  forward. 

With  great  care  and  much  struggling,  he  dragged 
himself  over  a  bit  of  road  and  came  to  a  deep  ravine, 
in  which  a  hermit  lived  whose  name  was  Wind. 

"  Oh,  friend,"  said  the  man,  "  help  me  from  the 
mountain,  and  take  me  home." 

Said  Wind,  "  I  am  not  strong  enough  to  bear 
thee  to  thy  home,  but  go  to  my  brother ;  he  is  the 
strongest  of  us.  He  will  take  thee  home  quickly." 

"  I  should  like  to  go  to  him,  but  I  cannot  move." 

"He  is  not  far  from  here,  —  there,  on  that  side; 
but  go  as  well  as  thou  art  able.  He  will  rid  thee  of 
those  horns." 

The  man  pushed  through  as  best  he  could,  and 
came,  covered  with  sweat,  to  another  cave,  in  which 
the  eldest  Wind  brother  was  living.  He  fell  on  his 


364         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

knees  before  Wind,  and  cried  imploringly:  "Be  so 
kind  as  to  bear  me  home !  " 

"  I  should  like  to  help  thee,  my  friend ;  but  it  is 
not  so  easy  as  may  seem  to  thee.  I  must  go  to  the 
Lord  to  ask  with  what  force  Wind  may  blow.  If 
Wind  may  blow  so  trees  will  be  torn  out  with  their 
roots,  thou  canst  reach  home;  if  Wind  blows  but 
weakly,  thou  wilt  not  go  there,  for  't  is  far.  Wait 
a  while;  I'll  come  back  soon." 

Wind  went  to  ask  the  Lord  how  hard  he  might 
blow,  and  the  Lord  commanded  him  to  blow  mightily. 

When  he  returned,  the  man  asked :  "  How  is  it?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Wind,  "I  must  blow  mightily;  thou 
wilt  reach  home.  But  knowest  thou  there  is  an 
apple-tree  over  there?  Climb  it,  pluck  an  apple, 
cut  it  into  four  parts,  and  eat;  thy  great  horns  will 
fall  off." 

The  man  was  glad,  climbed  the  apple-tree  quickly, 
but  the  horns  hindered  him  much.  He  plucked  an 
apple  and  ate  it ;  how  soon  was  he  free  of  the  horns ! 
He  came  down  from  the  tree  like  a  squirrel,  and 
thought :  "  Oh,  brother,  thou  'It  get  back  thy  things  !  " 
As  he  was  coming  down  he  took  more  apples  and  put 
them  in  his  pocket ;  then  went  to  the  pear-tree  and 
took  pears.  Soon  Wind  caught  him  up,  bore  him  off 
swiftly,  and  in  a  short  time  put  him  down  in  front 
of  the  inn  where  his  friends  were  waiting  impatiently. 
They  were  all  very  glad. 

"  Where  wert  thou?  "  asked  they. 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.       365 

"  Oh,  I  was  where  ye  will  not  be  to  your  dying  day, 
brothers ! " 

"  How  didst  thou  prosper?  " 

"  Badly,  badly." 

"  Where  hast  thou  the  cap  and  the  mantle  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  woman  took  them  from  me  !  " 

"  Woe  to  us,  —  woe,  passing  woe  !  Now  we  have 
neither  the  purse,  the  cap,  nor  the  mantle.  We  are 
beggared  beyond  reckoning." 

The  innkeeper  would  not  let  them  go  because  of 
their  debt. 

"What  will  become  of  us?"  asked  they  in  one 
voice. 

The  man  whom  Wind  bore  home  said :  "  I  have 
here  noble  and  wonderful  fruit  which  I  brought  from 
the  wild  mountains.  One  of  you  will  take  these  pears 
to  the  street  and  sell  them ;  but  do  not  dare  to  sell 
them  to  any  one  save  the  princess  when  she  is  going 
home  from  church.  For  the  people  thou  must  put 
such  a  price  that  they  will  not  buy ;  for  the  princess 
reduce  the  price  so  that  she  may  buy." 

One  of  the  men  put  the  pears  in  a  clean  basket, 
covered  them  with  a  neat  cloth,  and  went  to  the 
square  through  which  the  princess  was  wont  to  go  to 
church  and  return.  Soon  she  was  coming  out  of  the 
church,  her  servant  following  some  steps  behind. 
She  saw  the  uncommonly  beautiful  pears  from  a  dis- 
tance, came  up  herself,  and  asked :  "  How  many  dost 
thou  give  for  a  copper?" 


366         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Oh,  these  pears  are  not  sold  for  copper  coin ! 
They  are  so  splendid,  and  have  such  a  flavor,  that  I 
can  give  only  three  for  a  ducat." 

The  princess  bought  all,  and  gave  them  to  her 
servant  to  carry ;  she  had  barely  reached  home,  and 
sat  near  the  table,  when  she  took  a  golden  knife,  pared 
and  ate  with  great  relish  a  number  of  pears.  She 
ate  with  such  pleasure  that  she  saw  not  how  horns 
began  to  grow  on  her  head  after  the  first  pear;  and 
in  a  little  while  they  had  grown  so  much  that  she 
could  not  remain  in  the  room.  She  went  to  the  great 
supper-hall,  but  even  there  was  forced  to  lie  down 
on  the  floor,  so  broad  and  so  lofty  were  her  horns. 
She  gave  herself  up  to  fearful  lamentation  and  tears, 
so  that  all  the  servants  and  the  king,  her  father, 
with  the  queen,  her  mother,  ran  in.  All  were 
horrified  and  wrung  their  hands,  seeing  the  princess 
disfigured. 

The  king  sent  quickly  for  the  doctors,  who  came  in 
all  haste  from  each  corner  and  town.  The  servants 
ran  to  every  place;  each  one  in  his  excitement 
brought  whomsoever  he  knew.  The  doctors  met  and 
shook  their  heads  one  after  another ;  each  said  that 
in  his  life  he  had  never  seen  nor  had  experience  of 
such  a  case.  They  held  a  consultation,  and  at  last 
decided  to  saw  off  the  horns.  They  went  to  work, 
but  in  vain;  they  had  barely  sawed  a  piece,  when 
it  grew  on  again  quickly,  so  that  fright  seized  every 
one.  The  princess  was  so  horrified  and  ashamed  that 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.       367 

she  would  have  preferred  to  be  out  of  the  world ;  no 
man  could  help  her.  Then  the  king  made  proclama- 
tion that  whoso  would  free  the  princess  from  the 
horns,  would  get  her  in  marriage,  and  with  her  the 
whole  kingdom. 

Who  was  so  glad  now  as  the  man  with  the  ap- 
ples? "Wait,"  thought  he;  "  my  little  bird,  thou  'It 
sing  as  I  whistle,  —  no  man  can  help  thee  but  me." 

He  had  fine  clothes  brought,  and  dressed  as  a  doc- 
tor had  himself  announced  at  the  palace.  He  was 
soon  admitted,  and  began  to  speak  to  the  princess, 
saying :  "  You  must  have  angered  God  greatly,  must 
have  committed  grievous  sins,  for  which  you  are  pun- 
ished in  this  way.  I  expect  to  give  you  real  help ; 
but  first  of  all  you  must  tell  me  sincerely  what  you 
have  done,  —  my  aid  has  to  be  rendered  in  view  of 
that." 

She  confessed  with  weeping  that  she  had  been 
fond  of  playing  cards ;  had  outplayed  all  men,  then 
had  them  flogged  from  the  castle.  The  last  time  she 
had  played  with  a  stranger,  from  whom  she  had 
stolen  a  magic  purse ;  and  afterward  she  had  stolen 
from  another  man  a  magic  cap  and  mantle.  No 
doubt  the  Lord  had  now  punished  her  for  that. 

"  Before  we  can  think  of  a  cure,"  said  the  unknown 
physician,  "  you  must  return  the  stolen  property." 

The  princess  had  all  the  above-mentioned  articles 
brought  at  once,  and  gave  them  gladly  to  the  doctor, 
who  promised  to  deliver  them  to  the  owners.  "I 


368        Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


will  carry  them  away,"  said  he,  "  and  bring  my  medi- 
cine, through  which  you  will  be  freed  from  the  horns." 

Half  an  hour  later  he  returned,  took  her  by  the 
hand,  looked  at  her  tongue,  and  said :  "  Charming 
woman,  you  have  eaten  something,  I  suppose,  from 
which  these  horns  grew." 

The  princess  answered :  "  I  don't  know  that  I  have 
eaten  anything  harmful ;  I  ate  a  few  beautiful  pears ; 
with  that  exception  I  have  never  eaten  any  common 
food." 

"  You  must  have  eaten  something,"  said  the  doc- 
tor. "  I  have  good  medicine  that  will  not  fail ;  but  I 
can  only  help  you  on  condition  that  I  receive  the 
whole  kingdom,  with  you  in  marriage,  as  our  lord 
the  king  has  proclaimed." 

The  king  and  princess  promised  then  that  the  proc- 
lamation would  be  carried  out  if  he  would  free  her 
from  the  horns.  After  these  words  he  set  about  the 
cure.  He  took  from  his  pocket  an  apple,  and  cut  it 
into  four  parts ;  he  told  her  to  lie  down,  and  gave  her 
the  first  fourth  of  the  apple.  She  was  not  able  how- 
ever to  lie  with  comfort  by  reason  of  the  horns.  When 
she  had  eaten  all  the  four  quarters  of  the  apple,  the 
horns  fell  off  at  a  blow.  Then  there  was  mighty 
gladness  throughout  the  whole  castle ;  every  one  re- 
joiced that  the  princess,  the  only  daughter  of  the 
king,  was  free  of  her  horns. 

The  king  had  the  marriage  contract  drawn  up,  and 
soon  after  they  celebrated  the  wedding,  at  which  the 


The  Cuirassier  and  the  Princess.       369 

two  friends  of  the  young  king  were  present ;  and  he 
promised  that  while  they  lived  they  should  remain  at 
his  court  as  the  very  first  lords. 

There  was  eating  and  drinking  at  the  wedding; 
and  among  other  things  they  ate  bread  made  from 
rye.  But,  Mark  tell  thou  no  lie. 


24 


THE  TREACHEROUS  BROTHERS. 

THERE  was  a  king,  and  he  had  seven  sons,  — 
young  men  strong  and  healthy  as  deer,  except 
the  seventh,  the  youngest,  whose  name  was  Jalmir. 
He  was  in  his  twentieth  year,  and  still  a  nurse  had  to 
care  for  him  as  for  a  little  child.  It  was  pitiful  to 
look  at  Jalmir;  he  was  as  shapely  as  a  maiden,  and 
beautiful  as  a  spring  day,  still  could  not  walk  from 
weakness.  How  much  the  king  had  paid  to  doctors, 
quacks,  and  every  kind  of  old  woman,  to  cure  him, 
but  in  vain !  At  last  the  afflicted  father  lost  all  hope 
that  his  dearest  son  would  ever  grow  strong. 

For  this  reason  there  reigned  in  the  king's  palace 
deep  distress,  which  was  in  no  way  to  the  taste  of 
Jalmir's  brothers,  especially  since  they  could  not 
hunt  in  the  neighborhood.  "What  shall  we  do  in 
future?"  asked  the  eldest  one  day  when  they  were 
resting  in  the  forest  after  a  hunt.  "  Let  us  go  into 
the  world." 

"  Yes,  yes  !  "  answered  all  the  others.  They  went 
home  and  laid  their  wishes  before  their  father. 

"  What  am  I  to  do?  "  objected  the  king.  "Jalmir 
is  sickly ;  I  shall  be  without  aid  in  my  old  age." 

The  sons  agreed  with  him  in  this,  but  wheedled 
him  so  slyly  that  at  last  they  received  his  consent 


The   Treacherous  Brothers.  371 

to  go  out  in  the  world.  They  rushed  with  rejoic- 
ing to  the  stable,  chose  the  best  horses,  took  what 
money  they  could,  and  that  same  day  rode  away 
from  their  father's  house  at  a  gallop,  without  even 
saying  good-by  to  their  brother  Jalmir.  How  strange 
was  the  feeling  at  the  heart  of  the  poor  fellow 
when  his  nurse  told  him  of  this !  He  turned  from 
her  in  silence;  but  under  the  pillow  with  which 
he  covered  his  face  he  shed  many  tears.  When  it 
was  growing  dark  the  nurse  hurried  out  of  his  cham- 
ber to  chat  with  the  servants.  She  began  with  the 
cook,  and  they  talked  till  midnight  was  near  before 
she  knew  it. 

Meanwhile  Jalmir  was  lying  on  his  bed  sadder 
than  ever.  This  time  he  was  not  thinking  of  his 
bodily  pain,  but  of  his  brothers  who  had  left  him 
without  saying  farewell ;  this  troubled  him  most.  He 
thought,  "Shall  I  ever  be  well?"  and  some  internal 
voice  said  that  he  would.  Filled  with  hope  he  fell 
into  a  doze,  and  saw  himself  hunting  on  horseback, 
and  hurling  a  spear  at  wild  beasts  as  his  brothers  had 
done.  All  at  once,  and  near  midnight,  a  venerable 
man,  with  snow-white  beard  reaching  to  his  waist, 
stood  before  the  bed,  and  said:  "Jalmir  art  thou 
sleeping?  " 

Jalmir  started,  opened  his  eyes,  but  saw  no  one. 
"  That  was  a  dream,"  thought  he.  He  meditated 
a  while,  and  again  closed  his  eyes.  After  a  short 
time  the  old  man  stood  before  him  again,  and  asked : 


372        Chekh  Myths  and  Folk  -Tales. 

"  Jalmir  art  thou  sleeping?  "  Jalmir  opened  his  eyes 
quickly,  but  saw  no  one.  "  That  was  only  a  dream 
then,"  said  he  to  himself,  and  again  closed  his  eyes. 
But  soon  the  old  man  stood  before  him  and  inquired 
a  third  time:  "Jalmir  art  thou  sleeping?" 

"  I  am  not,"  said  Jalmir,  and  rubbing  his  eyes,  saw 
the  old  man  at  his  bed. 

"  Rise  in  the  morning,"  said  the  old  man,  "  provide 
thyself  with  everything  for  the  road,  and  go  through 
the  southern  gate.  Outside  the  town  thou  wilt  find 
under  an  old  pear-tree  a  white  horse;  mount  that 
horse  and  ride  after  thy  brothers."  Then  the  old 
man  vanished  in  a  twinkle. 

Jalmir  rubbed  his  eyes  again,  and  looked  around  his 
chamber,  but  there  was  no  old  man  anywhere.  "  It 
was  only  a  dream,"  thought  he.  Again  he  lay  down 
and  slept  soundly ;  but  when  he  woke  in  the  morn- 
ing he  felt  so  well  that  he  sprang  from  his  bed,  and 
jumped  around  the  chamber  from  gladness.  His 
nurse  returned  at  that  moment;  but  when  she  saw 
that  her  weakly  charge  was  well,  she  ran  to  the  king, 
and  before  she  had  reached  the  door,  cried :  "  Jalmir 
is  well !  " 

The  king  went  out,  and  asked  in  a  sad  voice: 
"  Hast  thou  lost  thy  senses?  " 

"He  is  really  well,"  said  the  nurse  with  greater 
rejoicing ;  but  the  king  shook  his  head. 

Meanwhile  Jalmir  recollected  his  supposed  dream, 
and  ascribed  his  recovery  to  that  majestic  old  man. 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  373 

"  Since  he  has  cured  me,  I  must  obey  him,"  said  he  to 
himself.  He  dressed  quickly  and  went  to  the  king. 
When  the  king  saw  him  he  believed  the  nurse,  and, 
thoroughly  happy,  fell  on  the  young  man's  neck ;  but 
he  was  astonished  still  more  when  Jalmir  said :  "  Now, 
father,  let  me  go ;  I  must  follow  my  brothers." 

"  And  thou  wilt  leave  me  ? "  complained  the 
father. 

"  I  must,"  answered  Jalmir  seriously,  and  he  told 
his  dream.  The  king  shook  his  head  incredulously, 
and  at  first  would  not  even  hear  of  the  departure  of 
his  favorite  son ;  but  at  last  he  consented  with  tears. 
Jalmir  made  ready  for  the  journey  without  delay. 

The  king  gave  him  a  carriage  and  four  servants,  he 
took  money,  and  departed  straightway.  Outside  the 
town  he  dismissed  the  servants,  giving  them  the  car- 
riage and  the  horses,  and  walked  on  alone  to  the 
pear-tree,  where  a  splendid  white  steed  was  waiting, 
stamping  the  ground  impatiently.  "  Sit  on  me, 
quickly,"  said  he  with  the  voice  of  a  man,  "  or  we 
shall  be  late." 

Jalmir  sprang  to  his  back  and  they  went  on,  not  on 
the  ground  though,  but  through  the  air.  In  a  short 
time  the  white  steed  asked :  "  Dost  thou  see  thy 
brothers?" 

"  I  do  not  see,"  answered  Jalmir. 

"  But  the  hill  on  which  they  are?  " 

"  Neither  do  I  see  that." 

"Thou  wilt  soon  see  it,"  said  the  steed,  and  .has- 


374         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

tened  his  course.     "Dost  thou  see   the  hill  now?" 
asked  he  after  a  time. 

"  I  see,"  answered  Jalmir,  "  and  on  it  are  six  ants." 

"  Those  are  thy  brothers,"  said  the  white  steed. 
"  But  now  listen ;  we  shall  soon  come  up  with  them, 
but  do  not  make  thyself  known.  We  shall  pass  the 
night  in  an  inn.  Thy  brothers  will  feast,  but  will  not 
be  able  to  pay,  for  they  lost  all  their  money  foolishly 
yesterday.  Pay  for  them ;  in  the  morning  we  shall  go 
farther." 

Jalmir  promised  to  do  this,  and  then  the  white 
steed  came  down  to  the  earth.  Soon  they  overtook  the 
brothers,  who  did  not  know  Jalmir ;  and  indeed,  how 
could  they  in  that  stately,  fiery  hero  recognize  their 
weakly  brother.  Jalmir  bowed  to  them  courteously, 
and  asked  permission  to  travel  in  their  company. 

"  But  where  art  thou  going?  "  inquired  one  of  the 
brothers. 

"  To  see  the  world,"  answered  Jalmir. 

"  We  too,"  cried  the  others ;  "  so  thou  must  go 
with  us." 

Jalmir  bowed  to  them,  and  in  silence  agreed  with 
a  nod.  But  his  brothers  all  gave  him  their  hands,  and 
soon  began  to  tell  him  how  delightfully  they  had 
passed  the  previous  day.  Jalmir  did  not,  however, 
find  much  that  was  pleasant  in  it,  and  frowned. 

"  Art  sorry  that  thou  wert  not  there  ?  "  asked  one 
of  the  brothers.  "  Never  mind,  we  can  have  such 
days  yet  without  number." 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  375 

With  that  they  came  to  an  inn.  The  innkeeper, 
seeing  through  the  window  so  many  lords,  ran  out 
and  took  the  horses.  When  he  took  the  white  steed, 
Jalmir  asked:  "  Hast  thou  a  stable  apart?  " 

"  Yes ;   and  such  a  one !  "  boasted  the  innkeeper. 

"  Then  put  my  horse  in  it  alone,"  said  Jalmir,  "  for 
he  is  very  vicious." 

Then  he  followed  his  brothers  to  a  room  where 
they  were  already  seated  at  a  table,  and  calling  with 
terrible  uproar  on  the  innkeeper  for  wine.  In  a 
short  time  the  innkeeper  brought  all  that  he  had, 
and  the  brothers  drank,  sang,  shouted,  and  rioted  till 
the  inn  trembled;  but  Jalmir  barely  drank  for  one, 
because  he  was  sick  from  the  action  of  his  brothers. 
But  how  grieved  was  he  when  one  of  the  brothers 
said :  "  This  is  a  different  life  from  being  at  home 
with  that  grumbling  father  and  that  sickly  brother." 

Gradually  one  after  the  other  dropped  under  the 
table,  overcome  by  wine.  When  all  were  asleep 
Jalmir  said  to  the  innkeeper:  "  Be  careful  that  no 
harm  comes  to  them ;  I  will  sleep  a  little  too." 

Then  he  was  going  to  lie  on  a  bench  near  the  fire. 
"  Do  not,"  said  the  innkeeper;  "  I  have  a  bed  ready 
for  thee.  Come  with  me." 

Jalmir,  after  useless  refusals,  followed  him  at  last; 
but  before  he  lay  down  he  visited  the  white  steed  to 
see  if  he  had  plenty  of  oats  and  water. 

When  the  brothers  woke  in  the  morning  they 
looked  for  Jalmir  with  a  great  outcry :  "  It  would 


376         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

have  been  a  nice  thing  if  he  had  run  away  from  us  !  " 
cried  one  to  another.  "  Who  would  pay?  —  for  I 
have  no  money." 

Soon  Jalmir  came  to  the  room  and  told  them  to 
travel  farther ;  all  was  settled. 

"  Thou  art  ours,"  said  they.  All  embraced  him,  — 
't  is  a  wonder  they  did  not  suffocate  him.  Escaping 
from  the  brothers,  Jalmir  went  to  his  horse.  The 
brothers  followed  his  example,  and  soon  the  inn  was 
far  behind. 

"  Listen,"  said  the  white  steed  to  Jalmir,  when  the 
brothers  had  gone  ahead.  "  In  the  evening  we  shall 
come  to  a  castle,  in  which  lives  a  sorceress  with  her 
seven  daughters;  they  will  take  your  horses,  and  lead 
you  to  a  chamber.  The  sorceress  will  bring  you  wine 
after  supper,  but  drink  not.  What  will  take  place 
later,  thou  wilt  see." 

"Why  loiter  so?"  called  one  of  the  brothers 
suddenly  to  Jalmir. 

"  I  am  coming,"  answered  he ;  and  the  white  steed 
soon  galloped  so  that  in  a  few  moments  he  was  ahead 
of  the  brothers. 

"  Slower  or  thou  wilt  leave  us  !  "  cried  the  brothers ; 
and  the  white  steed  waited  for  them  of  his  own  ac- 
cord. Soon  they  entered  a  forest,  rode  and  rode,  but 
there  was  no  end  to  the  forest;  only  in  the  evening 
did  they  come  out  on  a  plain.  In  the  middle  of  the 
plain  was  a  beautiful  castle.  "  Oh,  now  we  are  in 
luck,"  said  the  brothers,  and  they  began  to  rejoice. 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  377 

They  galloped  into  the  court  of  the  castle,  and  were 
still  more  rejoiced  when  seven  princesses  came  forth 
to  meet  them.  They  sprang  from  their  horses  in  a 
moment  to  give  a  courteous  salute ;  but  how  did  they 
wonder  when  the  princesses  took  their  horses  by  the 
bridles  and  led  them  to  the  stable.  Jalmir  begged  the 
youngest  princess,  who  had  taken  his  steed,  to  put  the 
horse  in  a  stable  apart,  for  he  was  very  vicious." 

She  did  as  he  wished ;  he  saw  this,  and  only  then 
did  he  go  to  the  supper  chamber,  where  his  brothers 
and  the  six  princesses  were  already  sitting  at  a  great 
table,  covered  with  the  daintiest  dishes.  He  came  to 
them  with  the  youngest  princess,  but  ate  very  little, 
though  she  urged  him  continually ;  but  when  the  vile 
old  woman  who  served  them  brought  wine  and 
poured  it  to  each  one  in  a  golden  goblet,  Jalmir 
seized  his  goblet  eagerly,  but  did  not  drink  the  wine. 
He  poured  it  out  on  one  side. 

By  degrees  the  brothers  began  to  doze;  at  last 
one  after  another  they  fell  asleep.  Jalmir  suspected 
that  the  old  woman  had  drugged  them,  —  which 
was  true,  —  and  that  she  had  no  good  thoughts  re- 
garding them;  therefore  he  feigned  sleep  so  that  in 
the  hour  of  need  he  might  aid  his  brothers.  Soon 
after  the  old  woman  came  and  put  away  each  brother 
with  his  partner  on  a  couch,  of  which  there  were 
seven  in  the  adjoining  chamber ;  then  she  went  out, 
but  returned  straightway  with  a  great  broom,  and 
began  to  strike  the  brothers.  First  she  struck  the 


378         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

eldest,  but  he  moved  not;  when  she  had  finished 
with  the  six  she  came  to  Jalmir,  and  said  to  herself: 
"  If  six  are  asleep,  so  is  the  seventh."  She  went  out, 
but  soon  returned  with  sulphur  in  her  hand,  and 
burned  it  under  the  nose  of  each  brother.  She  began 
with  the  eldest,  and  as  not  one  of  them  moved,  she 
said  when  she  reached  Jalmir :  "  If  six  are  asleep,  so 
is  the  seventh." 

She  went  out,  but  came  back  bringing  pitch,  which 
she  burned  on  the  breast  of  each  brother.  She  began 
with  the  eldest,  and  as  none  of  them  sighed,  she  said 
when  she  reached  Jalmir:  "  If  six  are  asleep,  so  is  the 
seventh ;  now  I  may  cut  off  their  heads  without  fear." 

Jalmir  quivered ;  and  when  the  old  woman  went 
out,  he  sprang  quickly  from  the  couch,  put  each  of 
his  brothers  in  the  place  of  a  princess  and  did  the 
same  with  himself.  The  old  woman  returned  with  a 
sword,  but  without  a  light,  and  cut  off  the  heads  of 
the  seven  princesses;  then  she  went  out.  Jalmir 
sprang  up  in  a  moment  and  tried  to  rouse  his 
brothers,  but  in  vain.  What  anguish  the  poor  fellow 
suffered ;  only  towards  morning  did  the  brothers  wake 
and  look  in  terror  at  the  dead  bodies  of  the  prin- 
cesses. But  Jalmir  exclaimed  in  a  voice  of  despair : 
"  Let  us  flee !  "  and  rushed  forth ;  the  brothers  fol- 
lowed him.  In  the  stable  they  untied  their  horses, 
and  springing  on  them  hurried  in  a  wild  chase  from 
the  castle  and  across  the  broad  plain. 

The  sorceress  soon  saw  their  flight,  and  pursued; 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  379 

but  as  they  had  crossed  the  boundary  of  her  castle 
lands  she  had  power  over  them  no  longer,  and  with 
work  undone  was  forced  to  go  home,  where  she  cursed 
herself  above  the  dead  bodies  of  her  daughters.  The 
brothers  rode  without  stopping,  farther  and  farther, 
till  at  last  the  castle  disappeared  from  their  sight; 
then  they  made  the  first  halt  to  rest  and  inquire  of 
Jalmir  what  had  been  done  to  them.  When  they 
heard  that  he  had  saved  them  from  certain  death, 
they  fell  upon  his  neck  and  cried :  "  Tell  us  who  thou 
art,  since  thou  hast  done  so  much  for  us." 

"  Who  else  but  your  brother  Jalmir,"  answered  he, 
almost  swimming  in  tears;  and  he  pressed  brother 
after  brother  to  his  breast.  But  how  astonished  was 
he  when  he  saw  that  they  were  much  colder  to  him 
than  they  had  been  when  they  knew  him  not !  Still, 
they  asked  how  he  had  recovered,  why  he  had  ridden 
after  them,  and  what  their  father  was  doing.  But 
gradually  they  grew  silent  and  hung  their  heads. 
Beyond  doubt  it  was  not  to  their  liking  that  just  the 
youngest  of  them  was  so  wise. 

Jalmir  also  was  silent,  and  his  white  steed  dropped 
behind  of  his  own  accord.  When  the  brothers  could 
not  hear  him,  he  said  to  his  master :  "  I  told  thee  not 
to  discover  thyself,  but  thou  didst  not  obey  me.  The 
results  thou  canst  lay  to  thyself.  In  a  few  days  we 
shall  come  to  a  mighty  king ;  thou  and  thy  brothers 
will  enter  his  service.  When  in  need  come  to  me  for 
advice." 


380         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Jalmir  stroked  the  white  steed,  and  begged  his  for- 
giveness. From  that  time  the  brothers  were  no 
longer  joyous  as  before,  and  kept  noticeably  aside 
from  Jalmir.  But  since  they  had  no  money  they 
wheedled  him  greatly  whenever  they  saw  an  inn, 
since  he  always  paid  for  them.  After  some  days 
they  came  to  a  great  city.  Their  first  road,  however, 
was  to  the  inn,  where  they  ate  moderately  but  drank 
beyond  measure ;  and  now  they  began  to  do  such 
senseless  things  that  Jalmir  went  to  his  steed  as 
quickly  as  possible  to  get  consolation. 

When  the  brothers  were  alone  the  eldest  said :  "  I 
have  had  favors  enough  from  that  sickly  brother ;  to- 
morrow we  will  go  to  the  king  of  this  country  and 
serve  him.  What  do  ye  think?" 

"  We  will  all  go  with  thee,"  cried  the  others ;  but 
suddenly  they  were  confused,  for  Jalmir  had  returned. 

"Where  are  ye  going?"  inquired  he,  "  I  will  go 
with  you." 

The  brothers  answered  him  sullenly,  but  Jalmir 
said  he  would  go.  Towards  evening,  when  the  broth- 
ers had  had  a  good  sleep,  they  went  to  the  king,  who 
made  them  men  of  his  court  without  delay.  Now 
they  had  a  good  living,  large  pay,  and  almost  nothing 
to  do;  but  as  an  offset  they  were  still  not  at  rest, 
for  Jalmir  was  always  a  thorn  in  their  eyes,  especially 
since  the  friendship  of  the  king  for  him  increased 
every  day. 

Once  when  the  brothers,  from  idleness,  were  exam- 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  381 

ining  the  chambers  of  the  king's  castle,  they  came  to 
one  in  which  were  all  kinds  of  books,  small  and  great, 
piled  up  to  the  ceiling.  They  fell  to  reading  these 
books  with  great  eagerness. 

"  Brothers,"  cried  one  of  them  suddenly,  "  I  read 
here  that  the  king  has  not  a  bird  in  his  kingdom." 

"Is  this  true?"  exclaimed  the  others  in  wonder; 
"  we  have  not  noticed  it." 

"  But  know  ye,"  asked  the  eldest,  "  to  what  use  we 
may  put  this?"  All  shook  their  heads.  "Listen," 
said  he  in  a  whisper;  "we  will  tell  the  king  that 
Jalmir  knows  about  birds,  and  to  send  him  for 
them." 

"  And  the  king  will  do  so  at  once,"  said  the  brother 
who  had  read  of  the  birds,  "  for  here  is  written  the 
great  cost  of  the  birds  eaten  on  the  king's  table  in 
a  year." 

They  stopped  reading  at  once  and  went  straight  to 
the  king,  to  whom  they  told  what  they  thought.  "  But, 
gracious  king,"  said  the  eldest,  "  thou  must  sharply  in- 
sist, or  Jalmir  will  excuse  himself,  saying  that  he  knows 
nothing  of  birds." 

The  king  nodded  graciously  and  sent  for  Jalmir. 
He  came  quickly,  and  the  king  said :  "  As  thou  know- 
est  well  I  have  no  birds  in  my  kingdom,  therefore  I 
command  thee  to  bring  them." 

"  I,  gracious  king,"  said  Jalmir,  in  fright,  "  know 
nothing  of  birds." 

"  Whether  thou  knowest  or  knowest  not,"  said  the 


382         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

king,  in  sudden  anger,  "  thou  'It  get  birds."  With 
that  he  waved  his  hand,  and  poor  Jalmir  went  out 
with  drooping  head.  Whither  can  he  go  ?  Who  can 
help  him  in  peril?  He  went  straight  to  the  white 
steed  and  complained. 

"  Grieve  not,"  said  the  steed;  "  at  dusk  we  will  go 
for  the  birds." 

Jalmir  thanked  the  horse,  and  could  hardly  wait  till 
evening.  The  moment  the  sun  had  disappeared  be- 
hind the  woods  he  was  ready  for  the  road ;  and  when 
the  first  star  had  appeared  in  the  sky  he  led  out  the 
white  steed,  sprang  on  his  back,  and  flew  off  like  the 
wind.  "But  where  are  we  going?"  inquired  Jalmir 
of  his  steed  on  the  way. 

"To  that  sorceress  in  whose  castle  thou  didst 
save  thy  brothers  from  death,"  answered  the 
horse. 

"  To  that  place !  "  cried  Jalmir  in  fright. 

"  Have  no  fear,"  said  the  steed,  comforting  him ; 
"only  do  to  a  hair  what  I  tell  thee." 

The  good  steed  now  increased  his  speed  so  that  he 
went  like  an  arrow,  and  about  an  hour  later  he  came 
to  the  ground  at  the  castle  of  the  sorceress.  Jalmir 
sprang  from  him,  and  the  steed  said :  "  When  thou 
art  in  the  first  chamber  thou  wilt  see  silver  cages,  and 
in  them  silver  birds ;  in  the  second  chamber  will  be 
golden  cages  with  golden  birds ;  in  the  third  cham- 
ber diamond  cages  with  diamond  birds.  Of  all  these 
touch  nothing,  or  such  a  blow  will  fall  that  the  whole 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  383 

castle  will  tremble,  and  the  sorceress  will  seize  thee 
to  kill  thee.  But  go  to  the  fourth  chamber;  there 
take  a  wooden  cage  in  which  is  a  mean-looking  bird, 
and  hasten  to  me." 

Jalmir  entered  the  first  chamber  with  courage,  but 
cautiously,  and  looking  at  nothing,  went  to  the  sec- 
ond chamber;  there  the  glitter  of  gold  dazzled  him 
somewhat.  When  he  opened  the  door  to  the  third 
chamber  he  stood  almost  blind  on  the  threshold ;  but 
quickly  recovering,  he  shaded  his  eyes,  ran  to  the 
fourth  chamber,  and  seizing  the  cage  with  the  bird 
in  an  instant,  rushed  out  swift  as  an  arrow.  He 
sprang  on  the  horse,  which  rose  with  him  through 
the  air  in  a  moment.  The  sorceress  burst  out  of 
the  castle,  and  cursing  fearfully  because  she  could 
not  stop  him,  screamed :  "  But  thou  wilt  come  here 
again !  " 

When  the  white  steed  was  beyond  the  boundary 
of  the  castle  land,  he  said  to  Jalmir :  "  Open  the  cage 
and  let  the  bird  fly." 

"  But  shall  I  not  bring  it  to  the  king?  " 

"  Only  do  what  I  ask,"  said  the  steed,  with  such  a 
stern  voice  that  Jalmir  obeyed  without  thinking. 

It  was  yet  night  when  they  reached  home.  Jalmir 
tied  the  horse  in  the  stable  and  went  to  his  room 
to  strengthen  himself  with  sleep,  but  he  did  not 
sleep  long.  The  morning  dawn  had  barely  shown 
itself  when  in  the  king's  garden  was  heard  such 
a  loud  and  cheerful  singing  of  birds  that  all  the 


384          Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

people  were  soon  on  their  feet,  and  earlier  than  any 
the  king.  At  the  first  moment  he  was  so  astonished 
that  he  asked  whence  these  wonderful  creatures  had 
come. 

"  Royal  Grace,"  said  one  of  the  brothers,  "  thou 
didst  send  Jalmir  for  them." 

"  True,"  said  the  king,  as  he  bethought  himself; 
"but  where  is  Jalmir?" 

A  courtier  soon  brought  him,  and  the  king  fell  on 
his  neck  from  very  joy.  He  was  now  really  dear 
to  the  king;  but  for  that  reason  was  held  in  more 
hatred  by  his  brothers. 

"  How  can  we  get  rid  of  him?  "  asked  the  brothers 
when  they  were  alone. 

"  Maybe  we  can  read  something  else,"  said  one  of 
them. 

"  Very  good,"  answered  all,  at  once ;  and  they  hur- 
ried to  the  chamber  in  which  so  many  books  were 
collected,  and  it  was  not  long  before  one  of  the 
brothers  cried  out:  "  The  king  has  no  beasts,  and 
they  cost  him  more  than  the  birds,  since  he  uses 
many  more  of  them  in  a  year." 

"  Then  let  Jalmir  go  for  them,"  said  the  sixth 
brother,  smiling  maliciously ;  and  they  went  straight 
to  the  king,  to  whom  they  told  their  minds.  The  king 
nodded  graciously;  dismissed  them,  called  Jalmir  and 
said :  "  I  have  no  beasts  in  my  kingdom ;  and  since 
they  cost  me  much  in  a  year,  I  command  thee  to  get 
me  beasts." 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  385 

"  I,  gracious  king,"  said  Jalmir  in  wonder,  "  know 
of  none." 

"  Thou  knowest  well,"  said  the  king  in  anger,  "  for 
thy  brothers  told  me." 

"  Did  they?  "  said  Jalmir  in  astonishment.  "  Well, 
I  will  try;  "  and  he  went  to  his  white  steed,  to  whom 
he  told  everything. 

"Be  not  down-hearted,"  said  the  steed,  comforting 
him.  "  Come  to  me  in  the  evening;  we  will  go  for 
the  beasts." 

When  it  was  dark  the  good  steed  was  flying  through 
the  air.  "  But  where  shall  we  go?  "  asked  Jalmir. 

"  To  the  sorceress  from  whom  we  got  the  birds," 
answered  the  steed. 

"  But  I  am  afraid  that  she  will  catch  me,"  said 
Jalmir. 

"  Fear  not,"  said  the  steed ;  "  only  do  to  a  hair 
what  I  tell  thee."  When  he  came  to  the  ground  in 
front  of  the  castle,  he  said :  "  In  the  first  chamber 
thou  wilt  see  a  beast  with  silver  hair,  tied  with  silver 
chains ;  in  the  second  chamber  a  beast  with  golden 
hair  and  golden  chains ;  in  the  third,  one  with  pearl 
hair  and  pearl  chains.  Touch  not  any  of  these,  or 
a  blow  will  fall  so  that  the  whole  castle  will  trem- 
ble, and  the  sorceress  will  seize  thee  to  kill  thee. 
But  go  to  the  fourth  chamber;  there  seize  an  ugly 
dog  that  is  tied  with  a  ragged  rope,  and  hurry 
to  me." 

Somewhat  timidly,  but  all  the  more  carefully,  did 
25 


386         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Jalmir  pass  the  first,  second,  and  third  chamber, 
shading  his  eyes  with  his  hands  so  the  glitter  of 
the  silver,  gold,  and  pearl  might  not  blind  him. 
When  he  entered  the  fourth  chamber  he  broke  the 
rope,  seized  the  dog  in  his  arms,  rushed  out,  and 
swift  as  an  arrow  sprang  on  the  horse,  which  rose  in 
the  air.  And  it  was  high  time ;  for  scarcely  had  he 
sat  on  the  horse  when  the  sorceress  ran  out  after 
him.  When  she  was  unable  to  stop  him,  she  cursed 
fearfully,  and  screamed :  "  But  thou  wilt  come  here 
-again !  " 

When  the  steed  had  sprung  over  the  boundary  of 
the  castle  land,  he  said :  "  Now  let  the  dog  go." 

Jalmir  obeyed  at  once,  for  he  was  sure  the  steed 
gave  good  counsel.  When  they  came  home,  dawn 
was  already  appearing;  still  Jalmir  lay  on  the  bed,  for 
he  was  greatly  wearied.  He  did  not  sleep  long,  how- 
ever ;  for  barely  had  the  dawn  come  when  there  was 
a  noise  in  the  castle,  in  the  town,  and  outside  the 
town,  as  if  the  earth  were  breaking.  The  king  sprang 
in  wonder  to  the  window.  But  how  astonished  was  he  ! 
Right  in  the  garden  he  saw  deer,  stags,  rabbits ;  on 
the  trees  squirrels ;  on  the  ground  under  the  trees 
mice ;  in  short,  such  myriads  of  beasts  that  his  eyes 
danced.  In  the  king's  garden  it  was  pleasant  for  the 
beasts;  but  in  the  town  and  outside  the  town  the 
people  killed  them,  chased  wildly  after  them,  and 
threw  stones  at  them.  This  displeased  the  king;  and 
he  issued  an  order  that  all  beasts  belonged  to  him, 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  387 

and  that  no  man  should  dare  to  injure  them.  Then  he 
went  to  Jalmir,  thanked  him  cordially,  and  expressed 
his  friendship  with  an  ardent  embrace. 

The  whole  kingdom  was  pleased  with  the  beasts, 
but  Jalmir's  brothers  were  not  pleased. 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  him?  "  asked  the  eldest  of 
the  others.  "  Instead  of  getting  rid  of  him  we  have 
brought  him  into  still  greater  favor  with  the  king." 

"  But  let  us  go  and  read  again." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  a  third ;  and  all  hurried  off  to  the 
well-known  room.  They  had  read  a  long  time  when 
at  last  one  cried  out:  "  The  king  has  no  wine,  and  of 
course  wine  costs  him  money." 

"  Then  let  Jalmir  go  for  it,"  answered  the  eldest, 
quietly;  "  and  he  must  get  luck  from  hell  if  he 
comes  back." 

They  went  straight  to  the  king,  and  very  insinu- 
atingly they  told  him  that  Jalmir  might  easily  supply 
him  with  wine. 

"  Then  he  will  do  it ;  "  and  dismissing  them  gra- 
ciously he  had  Jalmir  summoned,  and  told  him  his 
wish. 

"Gracious  king,"  answered  Jalmir,  "  I  know  nothing 
of  wine,  but  I  will  go  and  see." 

The  king  was  somewhat  angry,  thinking  surely  that 
Jalmir  was  unwilling,  and  thereupon  said:  "Thou 
wilt  answer  to  me  with  thy  head."  Jalmir,  bowing  in 
silence,  went  out  to  the  steed. 

"Fear  not,"  said  the  steed;   "in  the  evening  we 


388         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

will  go  for  the  wine."  The  moment  it  was  dark  the 
kind  steed  shot  away  with  Jalmir  through  the  air. 

"Where  are  we  going  this  time?"  asked  Jalmir, 
a  little  frightened. 

"  To  the  sorceress  from  whom  we  got  the  birds 
and  the  beasts.  But  now  pull  a  hair  from  my  tail,  and 
one  from  my  mane ;  from  the  first  make  a  rope  three 
hundred  yards  long,  from  the  other  a  net  large  enough 
to  contain  thee." 

Jalmir  did  in  silence  according  to  the  steed's  words ; 
and  to  his  astonishment,  before  they  came  to  the 
castle  the  rope  and  the  net  were  finished. 

"  Now  attend  to  my  words,"  said  the  steed  when 
he  had  come  to  the  ground.  "  Tie  one  end  of  the 
rope  to  my  foot  and  the  other  to  the  net,  take  the 
net  with  thee  and  put  it  on  the  door  of  the  cellar,  to 
which  thou  must  go  down  on  three  hundred  steps. 
In  the  cellar  thou  wilt  see  vessels  with  silver  and 
gold  and  diamond  hoops ;  pay  no  heed  to  them,  or  a 
blow  will  fall,  and  it  will  be  ill  with  thee.  Go  to  the 
farthest  part  of  the  cellar.  There  thou  wilt  see  in  a 
niche  a  little  vessel  with  wooden  hoops,  take  that 
quickly  and  hurry  to  me ;  but  if  thou  art  not  able 
to  come,  just  spring  into  the  net  and  I  will  help 
thee." 

Jalmir  did  everything  according  to  the  words  of  the 
steed.  It  was  as  clear  as  white  day  in  the  cellar  from 
the  silver,  gold,  and  diamond  hoops,  so  that  he  soon 
saw  the  little  vessel  in  the  niche;  but  when  he 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  389 

caught  it,  it  is  a  wonder  that  he  did  not  fall  under  its 
weight.  With  a  mighty  effort  he  carried  it  to  the 
steps ;  but  there  he  struck  his  foot  against  a  vessel, 
and  such  a  blow  fell  that  the  castle  trembled  from 
its  foundation  to  the  highest  points  of  its  tower. 
Jalmir,  however,  did  not  grow  weak ;  he  sprang  up 
like  an  arrow  over  the  three  hundred  steps  and  jumped 
into  the  net. 

Meanwhile,  the  sorceress  flew  out  of  the  castle  and 
sprang  at  the  steed ;  but  the  steed  got  her  down,  and 
so  thrashed  her  with  his  feet  that  he  did  not  leave  a 
sound  bone  in  her  body.  At  the  same  time  he  wound 
up  the  rope  so  nicely  that  in  a  little  while  he  had 
drawn  up  the  net  containing  Jalmir.  "  Sit  quickly  on 
me,"  said  he.  Jalmir  mounted  in  a  moment,  keeping 
the  vessel  carefully  in  his  arms.  The  steed  rose  in 
the  air  and  flew  like  lightning,  because  the  sorceress 
who  had  picked  herself  from  the  ground  was  chasing 
him.  But  soon  they  had  the  boundary  of  the  castle 
land  behind  them,  so  that  they  had  no  further  need 
to  strain  their  powers. 

When  they  reached  home  the  steed  was  drooping 
wearily  to  the  earth,  so  that  Jalmir  had  to  support  him 
in  going  to  the  stable.  Jalmir  was  barely  able  to  go 
to  his  own  room ;  but  first,  according  to  the  command 
of  the  steed,  he  left  the  cask  of  wine  at  the  door  of 
the  king's  chamber,  then  he  lay  on  his  bed  and  was 
soon  asleep. 

When  the  king  opened  the  door  of  his  chamber  in 


39O         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

the  morning  he  saw  the  cask.  "  This  must  be  wine," 
said  the  king,  rejoicing;  and  taking  off  the  head,  he 
tried  it.  "It's  wine;  it's  wine!"  rejoiced  he;  and 
calling  the  people  of  the  castle,  he  drank  a  health 
with  them  all. 

"  But  what  is  this?"  wondered  they;  "we  have 
taken  ten  kegs  of  wine  out  already,  and  still  it  comes." 

"  This  must  be  an  enchanted  cask,"  said  the  king, 
and  began  to  laugh.  Then  he  said  in  serious  tones : 
"  Little  cask,  I  should  like  to  have  red  wine."  He 
drew  some.  And  what  a  wonder !  the  wine  was 
red.  "  I  want  yellow  wine,"  said  the  king ;  and  yel- 
low wine  flowed  out. 

"  In  real  fact,  it  is  an  enchanted  cask,"  said  the 
king.  "  Oh,  Jalmir,"  cried  he  in  delight,  "  how  can 
I  reward  thee  !  " 

"  I  have  only  obeyed  thy  command,  gracious  king," 
answered  Jalmir,  who  had  just  entered  the  room. 

"  Yes,  thou  hast  done  all  that  I  commanded,  and 
much  more,"  said  the  king ;  "  therefore  I  make  thee 
my  son,  and  proclaim  thee  viceroy." 

All  present  broke  out  in  tumultuous  shouting,  but 
Jalmir's  brothers  were  silent ;  they  bit  their  lips  and 
clinched  their  fists.  The  king,  altogether  joyous 
and  full  of  tenderness,  from  success  and  from  wine, 
arranged  to  have  a  seven  day's  celebration  in  honor 
of  the  new  viceroy.  The  people  did  not  wait  to  have 
the  order  repeated,  but  began  that  very  day,  espe- 
cially since  they  had  plenty  of  food,  and  the  wine 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  391 

which  the  enchanted  cask  gave  them  without  stint. 
The  new  viceroy  was  greeted  everywhere  with  shouts, 
and  won  at  once  the  love  of  the  people. 

But  his  brothers  were  enraged  all  the  more.  In- 
stead of  going  to  the  festivities  they  went  to  the  room 
where  the  books  were,  and  read  as  diligently  as  if 
they  wished  to  become  sages  at  once.  This  time, 
however,  they  were  not  able  to  find  anything  for  a 
great  while ;  but  at  last  they  read  what  they  wanted. 

"  Now  I  have  something  for  our  darling  viceroy  !  " 
cried  one.  "  In  the  sea  is  a  golden  castle,  and  in  the 
castle  a  princess,  the  most -beautiful  under  the  heav- 
ens. If  our  king  would  take  her  in  marriage,  he 
would  grow  young  and  lengthen  his  life." 

"  Oh,  that  is  splendid  !  "  said  all,  rejoicing.  "  The 
king  will  surely  send  him  for  the  princess,  and  dar- 
ling Jalmir  will  either  be  drowned  in  the  sea  or  run 
home  to  his  father." 

When  the  feasting  was  over  the  brothers  went  to  the 
king,  who  was,  as  it  were,  ill,  — just  the  thing  for  them. 
"  Gracious  king,"  said  the  eldest,  insinuatingly,  "  we 
are  always  trying  to  prepare  some  pleasure  for  thee." 

"  Indeed,  I  have  need  of  it,"  said  the  king;  "  old 
age  and  disease  are  pressing  me  more  and  more 
every  day." 

"We  have  just  found  a  remedy  for  those  two 
evils,"  said  the  brothers. 

"  But  what  is  it, — tell  me!  "  broke  out  the  king, 
delighted.  They  told  him  what  they  had  read. 


392         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Well,  Jalmir  must  take  the  road  this  very  day," 
cried  the  king;  and  calling  Jalmir  he  explained  his 
wish.  Jalmir  agreed  in  silence,  but  scarcely  controll- 
ing his  tears,  hastened  to  his  steed  and  fell  on  his 
neck,  weeping. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now?  "  asked  the  steed.  Jal- 
mir told  him  all. 

"  Do  not  lose  courage,"  said  the  horse.  "  Go  to 
the  king,  and  ask  him  to  give  thee  three  hundred 
loaves  of  bread,  three  hundred  kegs  of  wine,  and 
three  hundred  beeves.  Have  all  put  into  wagons,  and 
then  we  will  go  for  the  princess." 

Jalmir  went  straightway  to  the  king  and  asked  for 
these.  The  king  had  all  provided  quickly,  and  prom- 
ised him  mountains  and  valleys  if  he  would  bring  the 
princess.  Jalmir  took  the  road  that  very  day,  sitting 
on  his  good  white  steed,  which  this  time  did  not  fly 
through  the  air,  but  walked  with  slow  step  behind  the 
wagons  on  which  the  loaves,  the  wine,  and  the  beeves 
were  carried.  And  many  times  did  day  and  night 
change  places  before  they  came  to  the  sea.  Now 
they  went  along  the  shore ;  the  white  steed,  going 
ahead  with  Jalmir,  showed  the  road  to  the  wagons. 

Jalmir  saw  a  great  fish  on  the  beach  which  was 
trying  in  vain  to  get  back  to  the  water.  "  Help  it," 
said  the  steed;  and  Jalmir,  springing  to  the  ground, 
helped  the  fish. 

The  fish  sank  under  the  water,  but  soon  came  to 
the  surface  and  said  to  Jalmir:  "  Wait,  I  must  reward 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  393 

thee.  Take  this  whistle,  and  shouldst  thou  need 
aught  from  me,  blow." 

Jalmir  took  the  whistle  from  the  fish's  lips,  gave 
thanks,  and  sat  again  on  his  steed.  After  a  time  they 
heard  as  it  were  distant  thunder.  "What  is  that?" 
asked  he  of  the  horse. 

"  We  shall  soon  be  at  the  end  of  our  journey,"  said 
the  steed ;  "  those  are  giants  talking." 

In  a  short  time  Jalmir  saw  three  giants  lying  on  the 
beach.  When  he  came  up  they  rose,  and  now  he  saw 
their  stature.  When  he  looked  in  their  faces  he  had 
to  bend  back  his  head  as  if  looking  at  the  highest 
tower. 

"  What  is  the  good  word  ?  "  roared  one  of  them,  so 
that  Jalmir  had  to  cover  his  ears. 

"  I  bring  three  hundred  loaves  of  bread,  three 
hundred  kegs  of  wine,  and  three  hundred  slaugh- 
tered oxen,"  answered  he. 

"  That  is  good  of  thee,"  said  the  giants,  nodding 
their  heads  with  satisfaction ;  and  they  rushed  to  the 
wagons  in  which  the  things  were  placed.  They  built 
a  fire,  and  stuck  the  oxen  on  great  spits  to  roast; 
then  they  went  to  the  bread  and  wine,  and  soon  had 
half  inside  themselves.  A  great  eagle  settled  down 
near  by,  and  looked  wistfully  at  the  beeves.  Jalmir 
cut  off  a  quarter  and  gave  it  to  the  eagle. 

"  Thank  thee  !  "  said  the  eagle.  "  I  will  help  thee 
in  time ;  "  and  she  rose  in  the  air  with  the  quarter. 

The  giants  did  not  leave  the  oxen  very  long  over 


394         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

the  fire;  and  when  they  had  finished,  they  said  to 
Jalmir :  "  Now  tell  us  thy  wish ;  well  do  we  know 
that  ye  little  worms  of  the  earth  do  nothing  for 
nothing." 

"I  have  no  wish  for  myself,"  said  Jalmir;  "  but 
my  master  has  sent  me  to  bring  the  princess  from 
the  golden  castle  which  stands  out  in  the  sea." 

"That  one  over  there?"  asked  the  other  giant, 
pointing  with  his  finger  to  the  sea. 

Jalmir  looked  around  and  saw  for  the  first  time  a 
magnificent  castle,  which  gleamed  in  the  waves  like 
the  rising  sun.  "Yes,"  replied  Jalmir. 

"We will  take  thee  to  it,"  said  the  first  giant;  "but 
will  the  princess  go  with  thee?  " 

"I  will  ask  her,"  said  Jalmir;  "but  how  will  ye 
take  me  there  ?  " 

"  Thou  wilt  soon  see,"  said  the  giants ;  and  they 
took  pieces  of  a  cliff  and  hurled  them  into  the  sea. 
They  went  on  breaking  the  cliff,  and  sooner  than 
Jalmir  expected  there  was  a  long  stretch  of  dam  in 
the  sea.  But  the  giants  did  not  stop  ;  they  worked  till 
the  setting  of*  the  sun,  so  that  in  the  evening  they  had 
one  third  of  the  dam  finished,  and  on  the  third  day  it 
was  possible  to  go  with  dry  foot  to  the  golden  castle. 

Jalmir  thanked  the  giants  heartily,  and  the  morn- 
ing of  the  fourth  day  he  went  to  the  princess.  The 
castle  was  a  wonder  to  look  at ;  but  he  scarcely  no- 
ticed it.  He  entered,  and  how  surprised  was  he  when 
in  the  first  chamber  he  saw  the  princess.  With  down- 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  395 

cast  eyes  he  said :  "  My  king  and  master  has  sent  me 
to  beg  thee  in  his  name  to  share  his  throne  and 
crown." 

"  I  will  go,"  answered  the  princess,  with  a  silvery 
voice;  "  but  wilt  thou  remain  at  his  court?" 

"  I  must,"  said  Jalmir.     "  I  am  the  viceroy." 

"  Let  us  go,  then,"  said  the  princess. 

She  mounted  a  splendid  crow-black  horse,  Jalmir 
his  white  steed,  and  they  galloped  along  the  dam.  On 
the  way  Jalmir  took  courage  to  look  at  the  princess 
more  closely,  and  thought  that  the  king  would  grow 
younger,  and  lengthen  his  life,  if  the  princess  would 
marry  him.  At  the  same  time  he  felt  a  certain  agree- 
able straitening  of  the  heart.  He  bent  his  head,  and 
rode  in  silence  at  the  side  of  the  princess ;  and  the 
nearer  he  came  to  the  castle  of  the  king,  the  more 
did  trouble  take  hold  of  his  heart.  The  more  joyous, 
however,  was  the  princess;  and  her  eyes  rested  on 
him  with  a  certain  special  delight.  They  arrived 
soon  without  great  adventure. 

The  king  went  outside  the  town  to  meet  them,  and 
conducted  them  in  solemn  procession  to  the  castle. 
"  Art  thou  willing,  honored  princess,  to  become  my 
spouse?"  asked  he  of  the  princess  when  he  had  led 
her  to  the  chambers  prepared  for  her. 

"  First  I  must  have  my  golden  castle,"  replied  the 
princess. 

The  king  was  amazed ;  but  he  bethought  himself 
soon,  and  turned  to  Jalmir,  gazing  imploringly. 


396         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  I  will  go  for  it,"  said  Jalmir,  with  decision,  espe- 
cially when  the  princess  nodded  graciously  and  smiled 
at  him. 

"  Go,  my  dear  Jalmir,"  said  the  king,  with  a  soft 
voice.  "  I  will  reward  thee  in  kings'  fashion." 

Jalmir  went  to  the  white  steed  for  advice,  and  the 
steed  said :  "  Tell  the  king  to  give  thee  three  hun- 
dred loaves  of  bread,  three  hundred  kegs  of  wine, 
and  three  hundred  slaughtered  oxen;  then  we  will 
go  for  the  golden  castle." 

Jalmir  told  the  king  his  wishes,  and  the  king  gave 
him  all.  Everything  was  ready  so  soon  that  Jalmir 
was  able  to  set  out  that  very  day.  But  it  was  a 
tedious  journey;  the  wagons  went  slowly,  and  after 
them  Jalmir  still  more  slowly,  and  with  drooping 
head,  —  why,  he  knew  best  himself.  When  they 
came  to  the  giants,  Jalmir  gave  them  the  loaves,  the 
wine,  and  the  meat,  begging  them  urgently  to  bring 
the  golden  castle  to  the  princess. 

"  Ah,  little  worm  of  the  earth !  "  said  the  giants, 
laughing,  "  dost  thou  think  that  the  castle  is  made  of 
wood?  but  we  will  try,"  added  they  after  they  had 
looked  at  the  three  hundred  loaves,  at  the  kegs  and 
the  oxen. 

They  began  eating,  and  when  they  had  eaten  heart- 
ily, they  went  to  a  neighboring  forest,  where  they 
pulled  up  three  of  the  strongest  trees;  and  when 
they  had  played  with  them  as  men  play  with  canes, 
they  went  along  the  dam  to  the  golden  castle.  After 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  397 

a  short  time  they  moved  the  castle  from  its  founda- 
tions, put  it  on  the  oak-trees,  and  then  on  to  their 
shoulders ;  and  as  if  it  were  nothing  they  walked  after 
Jalmir  without  weariness  till  night,  when  they  slept, 
and  next  morning  went  farther.  They  worked  in  this 
way  till  they  drew  near  the  king's  castle ;  they  did 
not  go  to  it,  however,  but  waited  till  night.  Then 
they  put  the  golden  castle  in  the  garden,  bade  fare- 
well to  Jalmir,  and  went  home. 

When  the  morning  sun  rose  people  shouted 
"  Fire !  "  in  the  castle.  All  ran  to  the  garden  to 
put  it  out;  but  the  princess  standing  in  her  window 
cried,  "  Be  quiet !  That  is  my  golden  castle." 

Soon  after  the  king  hurried  in,  and  opening  his 
arms  in  delight,  wished  to  embrace  the  princess, 
calling  out,  "  Now  thou  art  mine !  " 

"  Not  yet,"  answered  the  princess.  "  What  is  my 
golden  castle  to  me  if  I  have  lost  the  key  of  it?  " 

The  king  was  frightened ;  but  soon  he  said,  with 
clear  face :  "  My  dear  Jalmir  will  bring  it  to  thee." 
He  wanted  to  go  for  him ;  but  Jalmir  came  just  then 
to  the  princess  to  tell  her  that  he  had  brought  the 
castle.  The  king  told  his  wish ;  and  Jalmir,  gaining 
pleasure  and  strength  from  a  gracious  smile  of  the 
princess,  departed.  He  took  counsel  of  his  steed, 
who  said :  "  The  key  is  somewhere  in  the  sea  near 
the  dam."  Jalmir  mounted;  they  flew  through  the 
air,  and  were  soon  on  the  island  where  the  castle  had 
been. 


398         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  But  how  shall  I  find  the  key  in  the  sea?  "  sighed 
Jalmir. 

"  Thou  hast  the  whistle  from  the  fish  helped  by 
thee  into  the  water." 

"  Yes,"  rejoiced  Jalmir;  and  he  blew  on  the  whistle. 

That  moment  the  fish  swam  to  the  surface,  and 
asked,  "What  dost  thou  wish?" 

"  The  princess  has  lost  the  key  of  her  golden  castle," 
answered  Jalmir,  who  was  about  to  ask  the  fish  to 
find  it ;  but  the  fish  had  already  vanished  to  tell  all 
fish  to  look  for  the  key.  Now  there  was  life  under 
water,  —  such  gleaming  of  fish  flying  hither  and 
thither,  up  and  down  !  till  at  last  after  long  swimming, 
one  little  fish  brought  the  key  to  the  chief  fish.  The 
chief  fish  gave  it  to  Jalmir;  Jalmir  gave  heartfelt 
thanks,  and  was  soon  flying  through  the  air  on  his 
steed,  so  that  he  was  home  before  night.  When  he 
had  given  the  key  to  the  king  he  went  to  his  room  and 
shut  himself  in.  Why  he  did  this  he  knew  not  him- 
self; but  he  felt  that  it  would  have  been  better  for  him 
had  he  never  seen  that  princess  of  the  golden  castle. 

The  king,  perfectly  happy,  went  with  the  key  to  the 
princess ;  he  felt  sure  this  time  that  she  would  make 
no  objection.  All  the  greater  was  his  grief  when  she 
said :  "I  have  the  castle  and  the  key  to  it ;  but  what 
would  life  be  in  the  castle  without  the  water  of  death, 
the  water  of  life,  and  the  water  of  youth?  " 

"And  where  are  they  to  be  found?"  asked  the 
king. 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  399 

"  They  are  on  my  island,"  answered  the  princess 
so  decidedly  that  the  king  went  away 'in  silence  to 
think  whom  he  should  send.  He  had  pity  on  Jalmir, 
and  therefore  he  went  to  the  brothers;  but  they 
spoke  to  him  so  convincingly  that  the  king  asked  Jal- 
mir again  to  go  and  do  that  last  service  for  him.  How 
could  Jalmir  refuse?  Besides,  what  he  had  done  he 
had  done  for  her  for  whom  he  would  have  jumped 
into  fire  if  need  be.  He  went  to  his  steed  to  ask 
aid  once  more,  and  for  the  last  time.  The  steed  re- 
proached him  for  lack  of  courage,  and  said :  "  Sit  on 
my  back ;  we  '11  go  straight  for  the  water."  Jalmir 
did  so  with  joy,  and  was  soon  going  through  the  air 
to  the  island  swifter  than  ever  he  had  travelled  be- 
fore. In  a  short  time  the  horse  came  down  on  the 
seashore  and  said :  "  Go  to  the  island  for  the  water 
of  death,  the  water  of  life,  and  the  water  of  youth; 
but  hurry,  or  the  waves  will  wash  down  the  dam  and 
thou  wilt  perish.  I  will  eat  grass  here  a  while." 

Jalmir  went  forward,  but  very  slowly ;  for  the  image 
of  the  princess  rose  continually  before  his  eyes.  Ex- 
cept her,  the  whole  world  was  as  naught  to  him.  He 
was  perhaps  half  way  on  the  dam  when  all  at  once  the 
sea  rose  and  bore  it  away.  Jalmir  screamed  in  terror 
and  disappeared  in  the  sea.  The  steed  heard  his 
screams,  but  did  not  run  to  help  him,  and  hanging 
his  head,  went  with  slow  step;  he  knew  well  that  he 
could  give  no  aid  to  Jalmir.  Then  came  a  terrible 
storm  on  the  sea.  The  steed  thought  that  Jalmir 


4OO         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk  -  Tales. 

had  perished ;  he  rose  in  the  air  and  shot  away  like 
a  flash. 

Not  far  from  the  dam  —  of  which  there  was  not  a 
trace  after  the  storm  —  was  an  eagle's  nest  high  on 
the  cliff,  and  in  it  five  little  eagles  that  stretched  out 
their  necks,  without  ceasing  looking  down  eagerly, 
and  crying  meanwhile.  "  What  do  ye  want?"  called 
the  old  eagle,  which  sat  near  by  on  a  cliff  and  looked 
down.  But  how  quickly  did  she  fly  to  the  beach 
when  she  saw  a  body  there !  She  recognized  it  at 
once ;  for  though  she  was  only  a  wild  creature  she 
remembered  well  that  Jalmir  had  done  her  a  kind- 
ness by  giving  her  the  quarter  of  beef  for  her  young. 
She  seized  him  now  in  her  strong  talons  and  bore 
him  to  the  island  where  the  golden  castle  had  been ; 
she  plunged  him  into  a  spring,  then  placing  him  on 
the  ground,  sat  near  his  side.  Soon  Jalmir  began 
to  breathe,  —  at  first  with  difficulty  and  slowly,  then 
more  quickly  and  evenly,  till  at  last  he  opened  his 
eyes  with  a  deep  sigh.  "  Why  not  let  me  sleep 
longer  ?  —  I  slept  so  lightly  !  I  dreamed  so  sweetly !  " 
said  Jalmir,  as  if  waking  from  slumber.  When  he 
looked  around  more  attentively  he  called  out  in 
amazement,  "What  has  been  done  to  me?" 

"  Dost  thou  not  know  me?  "  asked  the  eagle,  stand- 
ing before  him. 

"  I  do  not  know  thee,"  replied  Jalmir,  shaking  his 
head. 

"  But  I  know  thee  well,"  cried  the  eagle.     "  Thou 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  401 

didst  give  me  a  quarter  of  beef  for  my  children. 
But  what  art  thou  looking  for  now?" 

"  The  princess  sent  me  to  this  island  for  the  water 
of  death,  the  water  of  life,  and  the  water  of  youth," 
answered  Jalmir. 

"Then  take  them,"  said  the  eagle,  and  brought 
him  to  the  three  springs.  Jalmir  took  three  flasks 
from  his  bosom,  and  filled  them  with  the  three 
waters. 

"  But  how  shall  I  leave  here?  " 

"  I  would  gladly  bear  thee  wherever  thou  wishest, 
but  I  cannot,  for  I  have  children ;  but  I  will  go  to 
my  brother.  He  has  no  children."  She  flew  off  in  a 
flash,  soon  returning,  and  with  her  her  brother. 

"But  where  has  my  white  steed  gone?"  asked 
Jalmir  suddenly. 

"  I  will  soon  tell  thee,"  answered  the  eagle,  and 
she  rose  in  the  sky  till  she  seemed  to  the  eye  of 
Jalmir  as  small  as  the  point  of  a  pine  leaf.  She  re- 
mained motionless  a  moment,  then  came  down  like 
a  bolt  and  said  :  "  I  saw  thy  steed  under  the  old  pear- 
tree  which  stands  before  the  southern  gate  of  the 
great  town." 

"  Bear  me  to  that  place  then,"  said  Jalmir,  with  a 
voice  of  entreaty. 

The  eagle's  brother  caught  him  in  his  strong  tal- 
ons, and  was  soon  flying  with  him  high  in  the  air ;  so 
high  that  Jalmir  saw  his  native  place,  but  it  was  as 
small  as  an  ant-hill.  He  went  farther,  it  became 

26 


402         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

greater,  till  at  last  the  eagle  came  to  the  earth  and 
put  Jalmir  down  near  the  old  pear-tree;  then  he 
parted  with  him,  and  soon  vanished  in  the  air. 

The  white  steed  was  standing  behind  the  pear-tree, 
with  drooping  head,  and  so  gloomy  that  he  did  not 
notice  his  master. 

"  My  very  good  steed !  "  cried  Jalmir,  and  fell  on 
his  neck. 

"  Thou  art  alive  and  well?"  asked  the  steed  in 
amazement. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Jalmir,  and  told  him  all  that  had 
happened. 

"  I  am  happy,"  said  the  steed ;  "  but  now  sit 
quickly  on  me,  we  must  go  to  the  princess  or  we 
shall  be  late." 

"What  is  the  matter?  "  asked  Jalmir  in  fright. 

"  The  king  wants  the  wedding  to-day,"  answered 
the  steed. 

"  Then  let  us  hurry,"  said  Jalmir,  and  he  sprang 
on  the  steed,  opened  his  arms  toward  the  town,  and 
cried:  "Oh,  my  dear  father!" 

"  Calm  thyself,"  said  the  steed ;  "  I  know  that  thou 
wouldst  embrace  him;  but  vain  is  thy  wish,  for  he 
died  long  ago."  The  steed  rose  in  the  air  and  flew 
so  swiftly  that  his  native  place  soon  vanished  from 
the  tearful  eyes  of  Jalmir.  On  the  road  the  steed 
said :  "  When  thou  art  king,  judge  justly,  even  if  thy 
heart  has  to  bleed." 

Jalmir  did  not  understand  him;  but  when  he  came 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  403 

to  the  town  and  heard  how  his  brothers  were  laugh- 
ing at  their  puny  little  Jalmir  who  had  perished 
somewhere,  an  evil  feeling  seized  him.  Mastering 
himself  however,  he  went  to  the  princess  to  give  her 
the  three  waters;  and  she  hastened  to  the  king  to 
whom  she  said :  "  My  dear  bridegroom,  so  that  our 
marriage  be  equal,  thou  must  become  young  and 
beautiful  as  I  am,  and  therefore  I  will  rub  thee  with 
the  water  of  death  so  that  thy  old  age  shall  perish, 
then  with  the  water  of  youth,  and  last  with  the  water 
of  life." 

The  king  consented  with  gladness,  and  the  prin- 
cess rubbed  him  with  the  water  of  death ;  then 
he  straightened  himself  on  the  couch  so  that  the 
princess  herself  was  terrified.  Seizing  quickly  the 
water  of  youth;  she  rubbed  him  with  it  and  the  fresh 
color  of  youth  shone  on  the  face  of  the  old  king. 
"  But  still  he  is  not  so  beautiful  as  Jalmir,"  sighed 
the  princess,  greatly  grieved.  With  tearful  eyes  she 
reached  for  the  water  of  life,  but  instead  of  it  took 
the  water  of  death  and  rubbed  the  king.  Straight- 
way the  pallor  of  death  spread  over  his  face.  The 
princess  fell  in  a  faint  at  his  side  and  remained  in 
it  till  Jalmir  came  by  chance  to  the  chamber,  seized 
the  water  of  life,  and  rubbed  with  it  quickly  the 
princess  and  the  king.  The  princess  stood  up  at 
once,  but  the  king  remained  dead. 

"  Is  there  no  help  for  him?  "  asked  Jalmir  with 
trembling  voice. 


404         Chekh  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  There  is  not,"  said  the  princess,  shaking  her  head ; 
"  whoever  is  rubbed  twice  with  the  water  of  death  can 
never  live  again/' 

"  But  what  shall  I  do  now? "  muttered  Jalmir, 
closing  his  eyes. 

"  Thou  art  king,"  answered  the  princess,  "  but  I  —  " 

"  Queen !  "  cried  Jalmir  eagerly,  and  sank  at  her 
feet  saying,  "  Forgive  me,  but  I  love  thee  more  than 
myself." 

The  princess  in  place  of  an  answer  kissed  him; 
and  now  they  went  to  announce  to  the  people  that 
the  old  king  was  dead. 

The  people,  who  had  already  assembled  in  the 
square  for  the  wedding  of  the  king,  were  greatly  dis- 
tressed; but  when  the  princess  presented  Jalmir  as 
the  new  king,  and  herself  as  his  wife,  they  broke  out 
into  mighty  rejoicing,  which  had  no  end.  But  Jalmir's 
brothers  were  silent;  and  when  the  new  king  with 
his  bride  retired,  they  reported  that  these  two  had 
poisoned  the  old  king.  The  people  raised  a  tumult ; 
but  Jalmir  went  out  among  them  and  asked  the 
cause.  Some  were  silent,  and  others  told  him  what 
his  brothers  had  said.  "  Do  ye  believe  this?  "  asked 
Jalmir. 

"  We  do  not  believe,"  was  shouted  from  every 
side. 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Jalmir,  "  but  that  ye  may 
believe  me  I  will  tell  how  my  brothers  tried  to  kill 
me ;  "  and  he  told  them  all. 


The  Treacherous  Brothers.  405 

"  The  wretches !  "  cried  the  people  in  a  rage ;  and 
they  caught  all  the  six  brothers.  Before  Jalmir  could 
stop  them  the  people  had  fired  a  stack  of  straw,  and 
when  it  was  blazing  high  they  threw  the  six  brothers 
into  the  flames. 

"  Now  ye  are  all  in  one  pile,"  laughed  the  people, 
"  because  hitherto  ye  were  always  setting  fire." 

Jalmir  turned  to  the  princess  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
but  she  soon  consoled  him.  After  the  funeral  of  the 
old  king  they  celebrated  their  betrothal ;  but  when 
Jalmir,  full  of  happiness,  sat  at  the  feast  by  the  side  of 
his  bride,  all  at  once  he  remembered  his  steed,  ran  to 
him,  and  fell  on  his  neck  thanking  him  as  author  of 
all  his  happiness. 

"  I  have  helped  thee,  do  thou  help  me  now,"  said 
the  steed.  "  Lead  me  to  the  garden."  Jalmir  did  as 
he  desired ;  then  the  steed  said :  "  Cut  off  my  head." 

"  I  cut  off  thy  head  !  "  cried  Jalmir  in  fright. 

"  Wilt  thou  let  me  suffer  one  hundred  years 
longer?  "  asked  the  steed  in  a  sad  voice. 

In  place  of  an  answer  Jalmir  drew  his  sword,  and 
with  one  blow  cut  off  his  friend's  head.  The  head  fell 
on  the  ground,  but  out  of  it  flew  a  white  dove  which 
rose  toward  the  sky.  Jalmir  turned  in  sorrow  to  the 
princess,  but  she  soon  drove  the  sadness  away  from 
his  face.  They  lived  happily  together,  and  because 
they  had  the  water  of  life,  they  lived  so  long  that  no 
one  has  memory  of  it. 


MAGYAR  MYTHS  AND  FOLK-TALES. 


THE  POOR  MAN,  AND  THE  KING  OF 
THE  CROWS. 

THERE  was  once  a  very  poor  man,  and  he  had 
two  lean  cows.  The  two  cows  were  to  the  poor 
man  as  their  mother's  breast  to  children ;  for  not  only 
did  they  give  milk  and  butter,  for  which  he  got  a  few 
coppers  to  buy  salt,  but  he  tilled  his  patch  of  land 
with  them. 

Now,  he  was  ploughing  one  day  at  the  edge  of  the 
woods  with  the  two  cows,  when,  from  wherever  it 
came,  a  six-horse  coach  stood  before  him,  and  in  it 
sat  no  other  than  the  King  of  the  Crows,  who  found 
this  to  say  to  the  poor  man,  — 

"  Listen,  poor  man ;  I  will  tell  thee  one  thing,  and 
two  will  come  of  it.  Sell  me  those  lean  cows ;  I  '11 
give  thee  good  money  for  them.  I  '11  pay  double 
price.  My  army  has  n't  tasted  a  morsel  for  three 
days,  and  the  soldiers  will  die  of  hunger  and  thirst 
unless  thou  wilt  save  them." 

"  If  that 's  the  case,"  said  the  poor  man  to  fehe 
King  of  the  Crows,  "  if  it  be  that  thy  Highness's  army 
has  n't  eaten  anything  for  three  days,  I  don't  mind 
the  difficulty.  I'll  let  thee  have  the  cows,  not  for 
money ;  let  thy  Highness  return  a  cow  for  a  cow." 


4io       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Very  good,  poor  man,  let  it  be  as  thou  sayest.  I 
will  give  thee  a  cow  for  a  cow ;  more  than  that,  for 
two  thou  wilt  get  four  cows.  For  that  purpose  find 
me  in  my  kingdom,  for  I  am  the  King  of  the  Crows. 
Thou  hast  but  to  look  in  the  north  for  the  black 
castle ;  thou  'It  be  sure  to  find  it." 

With  that  the  King  of  the  Crows  vanished  as  if  he 
had  never  been  there,  —  as  if  the  earth  had  swallowed 
him.  The  poor  man  kept  on  ploughing  with  the  two 
lean  cows,  till,  all  at  once,  the  army  of  the  King  of 
the  Crows  appeared  like  a  black  cloud  approaching 
through  the  air,  with  mighty  cawing,  and  seizing  the 
two  cows  tore  them  bit  from  bit.  When  they  had 
finished,  the  dark  legions  with  tumultuous  cawing 
moved  on  their  way  like  a  cloud.  The  poor  man 
watched  the  direction  in  which  they  flew  so  that  he 
might  know  the  way. 

Now  he  strolled  home  in  great  sadness,  took  leave 
of  his  two  handsome  sons  and  his  dear  wife,  in  the 
midst  of  bitter  tears,  and  set  out  into  the  world  to  find 
the  black  castle.  He  travelled  and  journeyed  over 
forty-nine  kingdoms,  beyond  the  Operentsia  Sea  and 
the  glass  mountains,  and  beyond  that,  where  the  little 
short-tailed  pig  roots,  and  beyond  that,  and  still  far- 
ther on,  till  he  came  to  an  ocean-great  sand-plain. 

Nowhere  for  gold  was  a  town,  a  village,  or  a 
cabin  to  be  seen  where  he  might  recline  his  head 
for  a  night's  rest,  or  beg  a  morsel  of  bread  or  a  cup 
of  water.  Food  had  long  since  left  his  bag,  and  he 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.        411 

might  have  struck  fire  in  the  gourd1  which  hung 
at  his  side.  What  was  he  to  do?  Where  could  he 
save  his  life?  Here  he  must  perish  of  hunger  and 
thirst  in  the  midst  of  this  ocean-great  desert,  and 
then  at  home  let  them  wait  for  him  till  the  day  of 
Judgment.  Here  the  poor  man's  power  of  walking 
decreased,  and  he  floundered  about  like  a  dazed  fish, 
like  a  man  struck  on  the  head.  While  stumbling 
along  he  sees  on  a  sudden  a  shepherd's  fire. 

He  moves  towards  the  light,  creeping  on  all  fours. 
At  last  he  arrives  there  with  great  difficulty,  and  sees 
that  three  or  four  men  are  lying  around  the  fire,  boil- 
ing kasha  in  a  pot.  He  salutes  them  with,  "  God 
give  you  a  good  evening." 

"  God  receive  thee,  poor  man ;  how  is  it  that  thou 
art  journeying  in  this  strange  land  where  even  a  bird 
does  not  go?" 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  black  castle  in  the  north. 
Have  ye  heard  nothing  of  it  in  your  world-beautiful 
lives?" 

"  How  not?  Of  course  we  have.  Are  we  not  the 
shepherds  of  that  king,  who  rigorously  and  mercilessly 
enjoined  that,  if  such  and  such  a  man,  who  sold  him 
the  two  lean  cows  for  his  army,  should  find  us,  to 
treat  him  well  with  meat  and  drink,  and  then  to  show 
him  the  right  road  ?  Maybe  thou  art  the  man  !  " 

"  I  am  indeed." 

1  A  pilgrim  bottle  made  of  a  dried,  long-necked  gourd. 


412        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"Is  it  possible?" 

"  I  am  no  one  else." 

"  In  that  case  sit  here  on  the  sheepskin ;  eat,  drink, 
and  enjoy  thyself,  for  the  kasha  will  be  ready  this 
minute." 

As  they  said,  he  did.  The  poor  man  sat  by  the 
fire,  ate,  drank,  and  satisfied  himself,  then  lay  down 
and  fell  asleep.  When  he  rose  in  the  morning  they 
gave  him  a  round  cheese,  and  drove  the  air  out  of 
his  bottle ;  then  they  let  him  go  his  way,  showing  him 
the  right  road. 

The  poor  man  travelled  and  journeyed  along  the 
right  road ;  and  now,  when  he  was  hungry  and  dry, 
he  had  his  bag,  and  his  bottle  too.  Towards  evening 
he  sees  again  a  shepherd's  fire.  He  draws  near  the 
great  fire,  and  sees  the  shepherds  of  the  King  of 
the  Crows  sitting  around  it  cooking  a  meat  stew. 
He  wishes  them,  "  God  give  you  a  good-day,  my 
lords,  the  horseherds." 

"  God  guard  thee,  poor  man,"  said  the  chief  herds- 
man; "  where  art  thou  going  here  in  this  strange 
land?" 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  black  castle  of  the  King  of 
the  Crows.  Hast  thou  never  heard  of  it,  brother,  in 
thy  world-beautiful  life?" 

"  How  not  heard  of  it?  Of  course  I  have.  Are 
we  not  the  servants  of  him  who  commanded  rigor- 
ously and  unflinchingly  that  if  such  and  such  a  poor 
man,  who  sold  him  two  lean  cows  for  his  army,  should 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.         413 

wander  along,  to  receive  him  kindly?  Therefore,  this 
is  my  word  and  speech  to  thee.  Art  thou,  per- 
chance, that  man  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  am." 

"Is  it  possible?" 

"  I  'm  no  one  else." 

"  In  that  case  sit  down  here  by  the  fire,  drink,  and 
be  filled." 

The  poor  man  sat  down  by  the  fire,  ate,  drank, 
and  satisfied  himself;  then  lying  on  the  sheepskin,  he 
fell  asleep.  When  he  rose  in  the  morning  the  horse- 
herds  entertained  the  poor  man  again,  wished  him 
happiness,  and  showing  the  right  road  let  him  go 
his  way ;  but  they  left  neither  his  bag  nor  his  bottle 
empty.  Then  he  went  along  the  right  road.  But 
why  multiply  words  ?  —  for  there  is  an  end  even  to  a 
hundred  words;  it  is  enough  to  know  that  towards 
evening  he  came  to  the  ground  of  the  swineherds  of 
the  King  of  the  Crows.  He  saluted  them  with,  "  God 
give  you  a  good  evening." 

"  God  guard  thee,"  said  the  reckoning  swineherd.1 
"  How  is  it  thou  art  journeying  in  this  strange  land, 
where  even  a  bird  does  not  go?" 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  black  castle  of  the  King  of 
the  Crows.  Has  my  lord  elder  brother  never  heard 
of  it  in  his  world-beautiful  life  ?  " 

"Haho,  poor  man!  How  not  heard  of  it?  Are 
we  not  the  servants  of  the  lord  of  that  castle  ?  But 

1  "  The  reckoning  swineherd,"  —  he  who  counts  the  pigs. 


414       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

art  not  thou  the  poor  man  who  sold  his  Highness  the 
two  lean  cows  ?  " 

"  Well,  what 's  the  use  in  delay  or  denial  ?  I  am, 
indeed,  he." 

"  Art  thou  in  truth?" 

"  I  am  no  one  else." 

"  But  how  wilt  thou  enter  the  black  castle,  since  it 
is  covered  all  around  with  a  stone  wall,  and  whirls  un- 
ceasingly on  a  golden  cock's  foot?  But  make  no 
account  of  that.  Here  is  a  shining  axe.  Just  strike 
the  wall  with  it  so  that  sparks  will  fly,  and  thou  wilt 
come  upon  the  door,  which  will  spring  open.  Then 
jump  in.  Have  a  care,  though ;  for  if  thou  slip  and 
fall,  neither  God  nor  man  can  save  thee.  When  thou  art 
once  inside,  the  King  of  the  Crows  will  come  forward 
and  receive  thee  kindly.  He  won't  put  his  soul  on 
the  palm  of  his  hand  at  once ;  but  when  his  Highness 
inquires  what  thy  wish  is,  ask  for  nothing  else  but 
the  salt-mill  which  stands  in  the  corner." 

Well,  the  talk  ended  there.  In  the  morning  the 
poor  man  moves  on  towards  the  black  castle.  When 
he  arrives  there,  he  saw  that  it  whirled  of  itself  on 
a  golden  cock's  foot,  like  some  infernal  spindle;  and 
nowhere  can  he  see  either  window  or  door  upon 
it,  —  nothing  but  the  naked  wall.  He  took  the 
swineherd's  axe  and  struck  the  wall,  and  sparks  flew 
from  the  axe  in  such  style  that  it  could  n't  be  better. 
After  a  time  he  came  upon  the  door;  it  flew  open, 
and  he  jumped  in.  If  he  had  delayed  but  one  flash  of 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.         415 

an  eye  the  stone  wall  door  would  have  crushed  him ; 
as  it  was,  the  edge  of  his  trousers  was  carried  off. 

As  soon  as  the  poor  man  got  in,  he  saw  that  the 
castle  turned  only  on  the  outside.  At  this  moment 
the  King  of  the  Crows  was  standing  by  the  window, 
and  saw  the  poor  man  coming  for  the  price  of  the 
cows.  He  went  to  meet  him,  shook  his  hand,  treated 
him  as  tenderly  as  an  egg ;  then  he  led  him  into  the 
most  beautiful  chamber,  and  seated  him  at  his  side 
on  a  golden  couch.  The  poor  man  saw  not  a  soul 
anywhere,  although  it  was  midday,  the  time  of  eat- 
ing. All  at  once  the  table  began  to  spread,  and 
was  soon  bending  under  its  load,  so  much  food  was 
on  it.  The  poor  man  shook  his  head,  —  for,  as  I 
say,  though  no  one  was  to  be  seen  anywhere,  neither 
cook  nor  kitchen-boy  nor  servant,  still,  was  n't  the 
table  spread?  It  was  surely  witchcraft,  surely  some 
infernal  art,  but  not  the  work  of  a  good  spirit, —  maybe 
the  salt-mill  had  something  to  do  with  it.  That, 
however,  did  not  come  into  the  poor  man's  mind, 
though  the  mill  stood  there  in  the  corner. 

He  was  there  three  days,  the  guest  of  the  King  of 
the  Crows,  who  received  him  with  every  kindness  he 
could  offer,  so  that  no  man's  son  could  raise  a  com- 
plaint against  his  Highness.  Morning,  noon,  and 
night  the  poor  man's  food  appeared  in  proper  form, 
but  the  roast  and  the  wine  had  no  taste  for  him ;  for 
it  came  to  his  mind  that  while  he  was  feasting  there, 
most  likely  his  wife  and  children  had  not  bread 


416        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

enough.  I  say  it  came  to  his  mind;  he  began  to 
be  restless  and  uneasy.  The  King  of  the  Crows 
noticed  this,  and  said  to  him:  "Well,  poor  man,  I  see 
that  thou  dost  not  wish  to  stay  longer  with  me,  be- 
cause thy  heart  is  at  home,  therefore  I  ask  what  dost 
thou  wish  for  the  two  lean  cows  ?  —  believe  me, 
brother,  thou  didst  save  me  from  great  trouble  that 
time ;  if  thou  hadst  not  taken  pity  on  me  I  should 
have  lost  my  whole  army  from  famine." 

"  I  want  nothing  else,"  said  the  poor  man,  "  but 
that  salt-mill  standing  there  in  the  corner." 

"  Oh,  poor  man,  hast  thou  lost  thy  wits?  Tell  me, 
what  good  couldst  thou  get  of  the  mill?" 

"  Oh,  I  could  grind  corn  or  a  little  wheat  from  time 
to  time ;  if  I  did  not  some  one  else  might,  so  there 
would  be  something  to  take  to  the  kitchen." 

"Ask  for  something  else;  ask  for  all  the  cattle 
which  in  coming  hither  thou  didst  see." 

"  What  should  I  do  with  such  a  tremendous  lot  of 
cattle?  If  I  should  drive  them  home,  people  would 
think  evil  of  me ;  besides,  I  have  neither  stable  nor 
pasture." 

"  But  I  '11  give  thee  money.  How  much  dost  thou 
wish?  Wouldst  be  content  with  three  bags  of  it?  " 

"  What  could  I  do  with  such  an  ocean-great  lot 
of  money?  My  evil  fate  would  use  it  to  kill  me; 
people  would  think  that  I  stole  the  coin,  or  murdered 
some  man  for  it ;  besides,  I  might  be  stopped  with  it 
on  the  road." 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.         417 

"  But  1 11  give  thee  a  soldier  as  a  guard." 

"What  good  is  one  of  thy  Highness's  soldiers?" 
asked  the  poor  man,  smiling;  "  a  hen,  I  think,  would 
drive  him  away." 

"  What !  one  of  my  soldiers?  " 

Here  the  King  of  the  Crows  blew  a  small  whistle ; 
straightway  a  crow  appeared  which  shook  itself,  and 
became  such  a  gallant  young  fellow  that  he  was  not 
only  so,  but  just  so.  "  That's  the  kind  of  soldiers  I 
have ;  "  said  the  king  and  commanded  the  young  man 
out  of  the  room.  The  soldier  shook  himself,  became 
a  crow,  and  flew  away. 

"  It's  all  the  same  to  me  what  kind  of  soldiers  thy 
Highness  has.  Thy  Highness  promised  to  give  me 
what  I  want,  and  I  ask  for  nothing  else  but  the  salt- 
mill." 

"  I  will  not  give  it.  Ask  for  all  my  herds,  but  not 
for  that." 

"  I  need  not  herds ;   all  I  want  is  the  mill." 

"  Well,  poor  man,  I  have  refused  thee  three  times, 
and  three  times  thou  hast  asked  for  the  mill;  now, 
whether  I  will  or  not,  I  must  give  it.  But  know  that 
thou  art  not  to  grind  corn,  or  wheat  with  the  mill ; 
for  it  has  this  virtue,  —  that  it  accomplishes  all  wishes. 
Here  it  is,  take  it,  though  my  heart  bleeds  after  it. 
Thou  didst  me  a  good  deed,  therefore  let  it  be  thine." 

The  poor  man  put  the  mill  on  his  back,  took  fare- 
well of  the  King  of  the  Crows,  thanking  him  for  his 
hospitality,  and  trudged  home  at  his  leisure.  On  the 

27 


4i 8        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk-Tales^ 

way  back  he  entertained  the  swineherds,  the  horse- 
herds,  and  the  cowherds.  All  he  did  was  to  say, 
"  Grind,  my  dear  mill,"  and  what  food  was  dear  to 
the  eye,  the  mouth,  and  the  taste  appeared  of  itself; 
and  if  he  said,  "  Draw  up,  my  dear  mill,"  all  the  food 
was  as  if  the  ground  had  swallowed  it,  —  it  vanished. 
Then  he  took  leave  of  the  good  shepherds  and  con- 
tinued his  way. 

As  he  travelled  and  journeyed,  he  came  to  a  great 
wild  wood;  and  having  grown  hungry,  he  said: 
"  Grind,  my  dear  mill."  Straightway  the  table  was 
spread,  not  for  one,  but  for  two  persons.  The  mill 
'knew  at  once  that  the  poor  man  would  have  a  guest ; 
for  that  moment,  wherever  he  came  from,  a  great 
fat  man  appeared,  who  without  saying  a  word,  took 
his  seat  at  the  table.  When  they  had  enjoyed  God's 
blessing,  the  great  fat  man  spoke,  and  said : 

"  Listen,  poor  man.  Give  me  that  mill  for  this  knotty 
club ;  for  if  thy  mill  has  the  power  of  accomplishing 
all  thy  desires  [the  fat  man  knew  this  already],  my 
knotty  club  has  this  power,  that  thou  hast  need  but 
to  say,  '  Strike,  my  club,'  and  the  man  thou  hast  in 
mind  is  the  son  of  Death." 

What  was  the  poor  man  to  do  ?  Thinking  if  he  did 
not  give  it  of  his  free  will  the  fat  man  would  take  it 
by  force,  he  exchanged  the  mill  for  the  knotty  club ; 
but  when  he  had  it  once  in  his  hand,  he  said  in  a  low 
voice,  for  he  was  commanding  the  knotty  club, 
"  Strike,  my  dear  club."  And  it  so  struck  the  fat  man 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.         419 

behind  the  ears  that  he  gave  forth  not  a  sound ;  he 
did  n't  move  his  little  finger.  Then  the  poor  man 
continued  his  journey  homeward  at  his  ease;  and 
when  seven  years  had  passed  he  was  able  to  say: 
"  Here  we  are  !  " 

His  wife  who  was  weeping  by  the  hearth,  mourning 
over  her  dear  lost  lord  and  the  two  lean  cows, 
scarcely  knew  the  poor  man,  but  still  she  knew  him. 
His  two  sons  had  become  large,  and  had  grown  out 
of  their  long  clothes.  When  the  poor  man  put  his 
foot  in  his  own  house  he  set  the  mill  down  in  the 
chimney-corner,  loosed  his  mantle  from  his  neck, 
hung  it  up  on  a  nail,  and  only  then  did  they  know  him. 

"Well,  father,"  said  his  wife,  "  thou  hast  come; 
God  knows  't  is  time.  I  never  expected  to  see  thee 
again;  but  what  didst  thou  get  for  Bimbo  and 
Csako?" 

"  This  mill,"  answered  he  with  many  "  see  here's  " 
and  "  see  there's." 

"  If  that 's  the  case,  the  palsy  strike  thy  work," 
cried  the  woman ;  "  better  for  thee  to  have  stayed  at 
home  these  seven  years,  and  swung  thy  feet  around 
here,  than  to  have  dragged  that  good-for-nothing  mill 
from  such  a  distant  land,  just  as  if  thou  hadst  eaten 
the  crazy-weed !  " 

"  Oh,  my  sweet  wife,  something  is  better  than 
nothing;  if  we  have  no  grain  to  grind  for  ourselves, 
we  can  grind  for  other  people,  if  not  in  streams  at 
least  in  drops." 


420       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  May  a  cancer  eat  thy  mill !  I  have  n't  a  thing  to 
put  between  my  teeth,  and  still  —  " 

"  Well,  my  sweet  wife,  if  them  hast  nothing  to  put 
between  thy  teeth  thou  'It  soon  have.  Grind,  my 
dear  mill." 

At  these  words,  so  much  meat  and  drink  appeared 
on  the  poor  man's  table  that  half  of  it  would  have 
been  enough.  It  was  only  then  that  the  woman 
regretted  her  tongue  rattling.  But  a  woman  is  a 
woman ;  beat  her  with  a  stone,  only  let  her  talk. 

The  poor  man,  his  wife,  and  two  sons  sat  down  at 
the  table,  looking  at  the  food  like  an  army  of  locusts. 
They  ate  and  drank  to  their  hearts'  content  Whether 
from  wine  or  some  other  cause,  a  desire  to  dance  came 
to  the  two  sons ;  and  they  jumped  up  and  danced, 
so  it  was  pure  delight  to  look  at  them.  "  Oh,"  said 
the  elder  one,  "  if  we  only  had  a  gypsy !  "  That 
moment  a  band  of  gypsies  by  the  chimney  struck 
up  their  music,  and  played  away  with  such  variations 
that  the  poor  man  too  wished  to  dance,  and  so 
whirled  his  wife  around  that  better  could  not  be 
asked  for.  The  neighbors  knew  not  what  to  think 
of  the  affair.  How  was  it  that  music  was  sounding  in 
the  poor  man's  house? 

"  What  is  this?  "  said  they  one  to  another,  coming 
nearer  and  nearer,  till  they  came  up  to  the  door  and 
the  windows.  Only  then  did  they  see  that  a  band  oi 
gypsies  were  fiddling  away  with  might  and  main,  and 
the  old  man,  his  wife,  and  their  two  sons  were  danc- 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.          421 

ing,  while  the  table  was  bending  under  loads  of  rich 
meat  and  drink. 

"  Come  in  cousin !  come  in  friend !  come  in 
brother-in-law,  bring  thy  wife !  come  in  brother !  " 
and  there  was  no  end  to  the  invitations  of  the  poor 
man.  Guests  collected  unceasingly,  and  still  the 
table  was  spread.  "  Ton  my  soul,"  said  the  poor 
man,  "  it 's  a  pity  my  house  is  n't  larger ;  for  all  these 
guests  could  scarcely  find  room  in  a  palace."  At 
these  words,  instead  of  the  poor  man's  cabin  such  a 
magnificent  palace  appeared,  with  chambers,  twelve 
in  a  row,  that  the  king  himself  had  n't  the  like  of  it. 

A  multitude  of  grand  people  with  the  king  in  the 
midst  of  them  were  out  walking  just  at  that  time. 
41  What's  this?  what's  this?"  asked  they  of  one 
another.  "  There  has  always  been  a  poor  man's 
cabin  here,  now  there 's  a  king's  palace,  and  besides, 
music  is  sounding,  and  gypsies  are  fiddling.  Let's 
go  and  have  a  look." 

The  king  went  in  front,  and  after  him  all  the  grand 
people,  —  counts,  dukes,  barons,  and  so  on.  The  poor 
man  came  out  and  received  the  king  with  the  great 
personages  very  kindly,  and  conducted  them  all  to  the 
head  of  the  table  as  their  fitting  place.  They  ate, 
drank,  and  caroused,  so  that  it  was  like  a  small 
wedding. 

While  they  were  enjoying  themselves  at  the  best, 
a  great  sealed  letter  came  to  the  king.  When  he  had 
read  it,  he  turned  yellow  and  blue,  because  it  was 


422        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

written  therein  that  the  Turk-Tartar  was  nearing  his 
kingdom  with  a  great  army,  destroying  everything 
with  fire  and  sword,  and  sparing  not  the  property  of 
innocent,  weeping  people,  whom  he  puts  to  the  point 
of  the  sword ;  that  the  earth  is  drinking  their  blood ; 
their  flesh  is  devoured  by  dogs. 

From  great  joy  there  was  great  sorrow. 

Then  the  poor  man  stood  forth  and  asked  the  king : 
"  If 't  is  no  offence,  may  I  ask  a  question?  " 

"  What  may  it  be,  poor  man?  " 

"  Would  thy  Highness  tell  me  the  contents  of  that 
great  letter  received  just  now?  " 

"  Why  ask,  poor  man?  Thou  couldst  not  mend  the 
affair." 

" But  if  I  can?" 

"  Well,  know  then,  and  let  the  whole  kingdom 
know,  that  the  Turk-Tartar  is  moving  on  our  coun- 
try with  a  great  army,  with  cruel  intent;  that  he 
spares  not  the  property  of  innocent,  weeping  people, 
puts  them  to  the  sword,  so  that  the  earth  drinks 
their  blood,  and  their  flesh  is  devoured  by  dogs." 

"  And  what  will  be  the  reward  of  him  who  drives 
the  enemy  out  of  the  country?"  asked  the  poor 
man. 

"  In  truth,"  said  the  king,  "  great  reward  and  honor 
await  him ;  for  if  he  should  have  two  sons,  I  would 
give  them  my  two  daughters  in  marriage,  with  half 
the  kingdom.  After  my  death  they  would  inherit 
the  whole  kingdom." 


The  Poor  Man  and  the  King.         423 

"  Well,  I  '11  drive  out  the  enemy  all  alone." 
But  the  king  did  not  place  much  confidence  in  the 
poor  man's  promise;  he  hurried  together  all  his 
soldiers,  and  marched  with  them  against  the  enemy. 
The  two  armies  were  looking  at  each  other  with 
wolves'  eyes,  when  the  poor  man  went  between  the 
camps  and  commanded  the  club :  "  Strike,  my  dear 
club."  And  the  club  pommelled  the  Turk-Tartar 
army  so  that  only  one  man  was  left  to  carry  home 
the  tidings. 

The  poor  man  gained  half  the  kingdom  and  the 
two  beautiful  princesses,  whom  he  married  to  his  two 
stalwart  sons.  They  celebrated  a  wedding  which 
spoke  to  the  seven  worlds ;  and  they  are  living  now  if 
they  are  not  dead. 


THE  USELESS  WAGONER. 

THERE  was  once  in  the  world  a  king,  and  he  had 
a  Useless  Wagoner  who  never  and  never  did 
anything  but  frolic  in  the  tavern.  The  whole  stand- 
ing day  and  all  the  ocean-great  night  there  was  noth- 
ing for  him  but  singing  and  dancing,  eating  and 
drinking.  The  king  had  money  of  course. 

But  the  king  began  to  grow  tired  of  this  thing. 
He  called  up  the  Useless  Wagoner,  and  gave  him  a 
terrible  scolding.  But 't  is  vain  to  seat  a  dog  at  table, 
and  when  the  Devil  gets  into  a  man  he  stays  there ; 
so  it  was  labor  lost  to  drive  the  Useless  Wagoner  to 
work,  for  he  went  his  way,  and  frolicked  as  before. 
At  last  the  king  resolved  to  take  his  life,  and  calling 
him  up,  said,  — 

"  Dost  hear  me,  work-shunning  Useless  Wagoner ! 
I  revile  thy  mother,  if  within  the  turn  of  four  and 
twenty  hours  thou  dost  not  make  for  me  a  three- 
hundred-gallon  cask;  and  though  one  joint  or  seam  is 
not  much,  if  it  has  that,  I  '11  empale  thee  on  a  stake." 

The  Useless  Wagoner  said  not  a  word  to  all  this,  but 
put  a  hamper  on  his  back,  took  a  cutting-axe  in  his 
hand,  and  strolled  off  to  the  forest  to  find  a  tree  fit  to 
make  a  three-hundred-gallon  cask. 


The  Useless   Wagoner.  425 

When  he  came  to  the  forest,  being  hungry  and 
tired,  he  sat  down  under  a  large  shady  tree,  opened 
his  hamper,  and  began  to  eat  lunch.  He  ate  and  ate, 
till  all  at  once,  from  some  corner  or  another,  a  little 
fox  stood  before  him  and  begged  food  to  eat. 

"  Of  course  I  '11  give  thee  something.  The  food 
came  here,  't  will  stay  here ;  "  and  with  that  he  threw 
a  slice  of  bread  and  a  bit  of  sausage  to  the  fox. 

When  the  fox  had  finished  eating  she  said :  "  Dost 
hear,  Useless  Wagoner?  As  thou  hast  taken  pity  on 
me,  I  will  take  pity  on  thee ;  in  place  of  a  good  deed 
look  for  a  good  deed.  Though  thou  hast  not  told  me, 
still  I  know  why  thou  hast  come  to  this  forest.  I 
know,  too,  that  the  king  is  breaking  his  head  to  kill 
thee ;  but  he  '11  not  be  in  time,  for  I  will  help  thee  out 
of  thy  trouble  and  make  thee  the  three-hundred-gallon 
cask.  And  though  one  seam  or  joint  is  not  much, 
even  that  will  not  be  in  it.  Now  lie  down  and  rest." 

And  so  it  was.  The  Useless  Wagoner  lay  down  and 
rested.  Meanwhile  the  little  fox  got  such  a  three- 
hundred-gallon  cask  ready,  that  although  a  joint  or 
seam  is  not  much,  even  that  was  not  to  be  seen  in  it. 

When  the  cask  was  finished  the  Useless  Wagoner 
took  it  home  and  gave  it  to  the  king,  who,  after  look- 
ing at  it,  dropped  his  eyes  and  his  lip  like  a  sheep ; 
for  neither  his  father,  his  grandfather,  nor  his  great- 
grandfather had  ever  seen  such  a  cunningly  made 
cask,  for  not  a  seam  nor  a  joint  could  be  seen  in  it 
for  gold. 


426       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Well  and  good  for  the  moment ;  but  soon  the  king 
summoned  the  Useless  Wagoner  to  his  presence  again, 
and  cried  out,  — 

"  Dost  thou  hear  me,  work-shunning  Useless  Wag- 
oner !  I  revile  thy  soul  if  within  the  turn  of  four  and 
twenty  hours  thou  dost  not  make  for  me  a  chariot 
which  will  go  itself,  without  horses.  I  '11  break  thee 
on  a  wheel !  " 

The  Useless  Wagoner  said  nothing,  but  put  his  ham- 
per on  his  back,  took  his  cutting-axe  in  his  hand,  and 
wandered  off  to  the  forest  to  find  a  tree  fit  to  make 
the  chariot. 

When  he  came  to  the  forest  he  was  hungry,  and 
tired  too ;  therefore  he  sat  down  under  a  large,  shady 
tree,  opened  his  hamper,  and  began  to  eat  lunch. 

He  ate  and  ate  till  all  at  once,  from  some  corner  or 
another,  the  little  fox  stood  before  him  again,  and 
begged  food  to  eat. 

"  Of  course,  my  dear  little  fox,  I  '11  give  thee  some- 
thing. It  came  here,  and  't  will  stay  here." 

With  that  he  threw  a  piece  of  bread  and  a  slice  of 
ham  to  the  little  fox,  who  after  she  had  eaten,  said : 

"  Well,  Useless  Wagoner,  in  place  of  a  good  deed 
look  for  a  good  deed.  Though  thou  hast  not  told  me, 
still  I  know  why  thou  art  here.  I  know,  too,  that  the 
king  is  breaking  his  head  to  kill  thee ;  but  he  won't,  for 
I  shall  help  thee  out  of  trouble.  I  '11  make  for  thee  the 
chariot  which  will  go  of  itself,  without  horses ;  but  do 
thou  lie  down  and  rest." 


The  Useless   Wagoner.  427 

And  so  it  was.  The  Useless  Wagoner  reclined  his 
head  in  rest;  and  meanwhile  the  little  fox  fashioned 
a  chariot  beautifully.  When  all  was  ready  she  roused 
the  Useless  Wagoner,  and  said, — 

"  Here  is  the  chariot  which  runs  of  itself;  thou 
hast  but  to  step  in  and  command  it  to  stop  in  the 
king's  court-yard.  But  I  would  tell  thee  this :  Here 
is  a  whistle  that  will  serve  thee ;  shouldst  thou  fall 
into  trouble,  just  blow,  —  it  will  help  thee." 

The  Useless  Wagoner  thanked  the  fox  for  her  kind- 
ness, and  entered  the  chariot,  which  stopped  not  till 
it  reached  the  king's  court-yard. 

When  the  king  saw  the  chariot  he  said  nothing, 
but  shook  his  head,  turned  on  the  Useless  Wagoner 
in  a  rage,  and  cried,  — 

"  Useless  Wagoner,  I  revile  thy  mother !  In  my 
stable  there  are  a  hundred  hares;  and  if  thou  dost  not 
herd  them  three  days,  if  thou  dost  not  drive  them 
a-field  in  the  morning  and  bring  them  back  at  night 
so  that  not  one  shall  be  missing  from  the  hundred, 
I  '11  strike  off  thy  head." 

What  was  the  poor  Useless  Wagoner  to  do  ?  Against 
his  will,  and  of  need,  he  let  the  hundred  hares  out  of 
the  stable  and  drove  them  a-field.  They  had  barely 
touched  the  edge  of  the  field  when  they  ran  in  as 
many  directions  as  there  were  hares.  Who  could 
bring  them  together  again?  The  poor  Useless  Wag- 
oner ran  first  after  one  and  then  after  another  hare ; 
he  chased  the  whole  day,  but  could  not  bring  back  a 


428       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

single  hare.  It  was  already  growing  late,  time  to  go 
home,  but  the  hundred  hares  were  in  a  hundred 
places ;  therefore  the  Useless  Wagoner  became  ter- 
ribly sad,  and  wished  to  make  an  end  of  his  own 
life,  —  it  was  all  the  same  whether  he  or  the  king  took 
it ;  there  was  no  salvation  for  him  anyhow.  So  he  put 
his  hand  in  his  bosom  to  take  out  his  clasp-knife  and 
strike  himself  in  the  heart,  but  instead  of  the  knife  he 
found  the  whistle  which  the  little  fox  had  given  him. 
That  was  all  he  wanted;  he  drew  out  the  whistle, 
sounded  it,  and,  behold !  all  the  hares  ran  up  to  him, 
—  as  tame  as  pet  lambs  fed  from  the  palm  of  the 
hand. 

When  all  the  hares  had  come  together  he  drove 
them  home. 

The  king  stood  at  the  gate  and  let  them  in 
singly,  counting,  "  One,  two,  three  .  .  .  ninety-nine, 
a  hundred."  Not  one  was  missing. 

Next  day  the  Useless  Wagoner  drove  the  hares  out 
again,  and  when  they  had  barely  touched  the  edge  of 
the  field  they  ran  off  in  as  many  directions  as  there 
were  hares. 

But  this  time  the  Useless  Wagoner  took  no  thought 
of  running  and  chasing  after  them;  he  thought  to 
himself  that  he  would  take  his  whistle  and  blow,  and 
they  would  come.  So  he  lay  down  in  a  nice  shady 
place,  and  slept  to  his  liking. 

But  the  king  did  not  sleep;  he  was  racking  his 
brain  to  destroy  the  Useless  Wagoner.  So  he  called 


The  Useless   Wagoner.  429 

his  only  and  dearly  beloved  daughter,  and  said  to  her, 
"  My  darling  daughter,  I  have  a  great  favor  to  ask  of 
thee." 

"  What  may  it  be,  my  father  the  king?  " 

"  Of  a  truth  nothing  but  this,  —  that  thou  dress  in 
peasant's  clothes,  and  go  out  to  the  field  where  the 
Useless  Wagoner  is  herding  the  hundred  hares,  and 
beg  one  of  him.  If  he  gives  it  not  for  a  good  word, 
mayhap  he  will  give  it  for  a  sweet  kiss ;  but  come  not 
home  to  me  without  the  hare,  even  if  he  asks  a  piece 
of  thy  body  for  it." 

The  princess  granted  her  father's  request.  She 
gathered  her  wits  about  her,  dressed  up  in  peasant's 
clothes,  and  went  in  the  field  to  the  Useless  Wagoner, 
who  was  sleeping  at  his  leisure  under  a  shady  tree. 
The  princess  pushed  him  with  her  foot ;  he  woke,  and 
saw  in  a  moment  with  whom  he  had  to  deal. 

"  God  give  thee  a  good-day,  hareherd !  " 

"  God  save  thee,  king's  daughter !  What  good 
dost  thou  bring  the  poor  hareherd?" 

"I  have  brought  nothing  but  this,  that  I  have 
come  because  I  would  like  to  get  one  little  hare. 
Wouldst  thou  not  give  even  one  for  good  money  ?  " 

"  High  princess,  I  will  not  give  one  for  money ; 
but  if  thou  wilt  give  me  three  kisses,  I  can  give 
them  back.  Then  I  don't  mind ;  I  '11  give  thee  a 
hare." 

So  the  princess  got  a  hare  for  three  pairs  of  kisses, 
and  ran  home  very  joyfully ;  but  just  as  she  was  touch- 


430        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

ing  the  latch  to  open  the  gate,  the  hareherd  sounded 
his  whistle,  the  hare  jumped  like  lightning  from  her 
bosom,  and  stopped  not  till  it  reached  the  flock. 

The  hareherd  drove  home  his  flock ;  the  king  was 
waiting  for  him  at  the  gate,  and  let  them  in  one  by 
one,  counting  till  he  came  to  a  hundred. 

Next  day  the  hareherd  drove  out  his  hares  the  third 
time,  and  left  them  to  go  their  way. 

The  king  now  called  his  wife  to  the  white  chamber, 
and  spoke  thus  to  her :  "  My  heart's  beautiful  love,  I 
have  a  great  favor  to  ask  of  thee." 

"  And  what  may  it  be,  my  dear  husband?  " 

"  Of  a  truth,  nothing  but  this,  —  that  thou  dress  in 
peasant's  clothes,  go  to  the  hareherd  in  the  field,  and 
ask  a  hare  of  him.  If  he  will  not  give  it  for  fair 
words,  he  may  for  a  sweet  kiss ;  but  come  not  home 
to  me  without  a  hare,  even  if  he  asks  a  piece  of  thy 
flesh." 

Well,  the  queen  yielded  to  her  husband's  request, 
put  on  a  peasant's  dress,  and  went  to  the  field,  where 
she  found  the  Useless  Wagoner  sleeping  in  the  shade. 
She  roused  him  with  her  foot ;  he  knew  at  once  who 
was  in  the  peasant's  dress. 

"  God  give  thee  a  good-day,  hareherd  !  " 

"  God  save  thee,  kind  queen !  What  good  hast 
thou  brought  the  poor  hareherd?  Why  hast  thou 
come,  may  I  ask  ?  " 

"  I  have  only  come  to  ask  if  thou  wilt  give  me  a 
hare  for  good  money." 


The  Useless   Wagoner.  431 

"  I  will  not  give  a  hare  for  money,  my  queen ;  but 
if  thou  wilt  give  me  three  kisses,  I  will  return  them 
again.  Then  I  don't  mind ;  I  '11  risk  my  head,  and 
let  thee  have  a  hare." 

So  the  queen  got  a  hare  for  three  pairs  of  kisses, 
and  took  her  way  home  joyously;  but  just  as  she 
was  putting  her  hand  on  the  latch  to  open  the  gate, 
the  hareherd  sounded  the  whistle,  the  hare  jumped 
like  a  flash  from  the  queen's  bosom,  and  stopped  not 
till  it  joined  its  companions. 

When  the  hares  were  all  together,  the  hare- 
herd  drove  them  home.  The  king  was  waiting  for 
him  at  the  gate,  let  each  in  singly,  counting  till  he 
reached  a  hundred,  —  not  one  missing  from  the  round 
number. 

Next  morning  the  hares  were  driven  out  as  before ; 
but  the  king  now  put  on  a  peasant's  dress,  and  went 
to  the  field  himself.  When  he  came  to  the  hareherd 
he  said :  "  God  give  thee  good-day !  " 

"  God  save  thee,  poor  man !  "  answered  the  hare- 
herd.  "  What  art  thou  looking  for?  " 

"  Well,  what 's  the  use  in  delay  or  denial?  I  have 
come  to  buy  a  little  hare  of  thee  for  good  money. 
Of  course  thou  wilt  part  with  one." 

"  I  will  not  give  one  for  money ;  but  if  I  can  wear 
out  twelve  rods  on  thy  back,  I  don't  mind ;  I  '11  risk 
my  head  on  it." 

What  was  the  king  to  do?  He  stretched  himself 
out  with  face  and  hands  on  the  grass,  and  the  hare- 


43  2        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

herd  flogged  him  as  a  corporal  does  a  soldier;  but 
he  endured  it  all,  gritting  his  teeth,  and  thinking  to 
himself,  "Wait  a  bit,  thief  of  a  Useless  Wagoner, 
thou  wilt  have  a  dose  when  I  get  at  thee !  " 

But  all  to  no  use,  for  when  the  king  had  reached 
home,  and  was  just  putting  his  hand  on  the  latch 
to  open  the  gate,  the  whistle  sounded,  and  the  hare 
sprang  away  from  him  like  a  flash,  and  ran  till  it 
joined  the  flock. 

Then  the  Useless  Wagoner  drove  home  the  hundred 
hares  a  fourth  time.  The  king  was  standing  at  the  lit- 
tle gate ;  he  counted  them  one  by  one,  but  could  find 
no  fault,  for  they  were  all  there. 

The  Useless  Wagoner  drove  out  the  hares  the  fifth 
time  to  pasture;  but  the  king  mounted  the  chariot 
which  went  wherever  the  owner  commanded,  and 
drove  to  the  Useless  Wagoner,  taking  three  empty 
bags  with  him.  "Dost  hear  me,  thou! — this-and- 
that-kind-of-work-shunning?  Hareherd,  I  revile  thy 
soul!  If  thou  wilt  not  fill  these  three  bags  with 
truth,  I  will  strike  off  thy  head." 

To  all  this  the  Useless  Wagoner  answered  in  words : 
"  The  king's  daughter  came  out ;  I  gave  her,  and  she 
gave  me.  The  queen  came ;  I  gave  her,  and  she  gave 
me.  The  king  came ;  I  gave  him,  and  he  —  " 

"  Stop !  stop  !  "  cried  the  king,  "  the  three  bags 
are  full ;  and  I  'd  rather  be  in  hell  than  hear  thy 
words." 

At  this  speech  the  chariot  started  off  with  the  king, 


The  Useless   Wagoner.  433 

and  never  stopped  till  it  took  him  to  the  bottom  of 
hell. 

Then  the  Useless  Wagoner  went  home,  married  the 
king's  daughter,  became  king,  and  reigns  yet  with  his 
queen,  unless  he  is  dead. 


MIRKO,  THE  KING'S  SON. 

ONCE  there  was  a  king,  and  he  had  three  sons. 
The  king  rejoiced  in  his  three  sons,  and  re- 
solved to  have  them  instructed  in  a  befitting  manner, 
so  that  he  might  leave  good  heirs  to  the  kingdom. 
Therefore  he  sent  his  sons  to  school,  where  they  got 
on  well  enough  for  a  time,  till  at  length  they  turned 
their  backs  on  the  school,  went  home,  all  three,  and 
knew  their  studies  no  more. 

The  king  grew  fiercely  angry  at  this,  forbade  his 
sons  to  stand  before  his  face,  and  betook  himself  to 
live  in  the  chamber  of  his  palace  next  the  rising  sun, 
where  he  sat  continually  at  the  window  and  looked 
towards  the  east  as  if  waiting  for  something;  and  with 
one  eye  he  wept  unceasingly,  while  with  the  other  he 
laughed. 

After  the  three  princes  had  grown  up  to  a  good 
age,  they  agreed  among  themselves  to  inquire  of  the 
king  why  he  was  always  sitting  in  the  chamber  next 
the  rising  sun,  and  why  one  of  his  eyes  was  always 
crying,  while  the  other  was  always  laughing.  First 
the  eldest  son  went  in  and  put  the  question,  saying, 
"  My  father  the  king,  I  have  come  to  ask  why  one  of 
thy  eyes  is  always  crying  and  the  other  always  laugh- 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  435 

ing,  while  thou  art  looking  continually  towards  the 
east." 

The  king  measured  his  son  with  his  eyes  from  head 
to  foot,  said  not  a  word,  but  took  a  sword  which  hung 
at  the  window  and  hurled  it  at  him  with  such  force 
that  it  sank  into  the  door  up  to  the  hilt.  The  prince 
sprang  through  the  door,  thus  escaping  the  blow 
aimed  at  him.  When  he  came  out  his  brothers  asked 
what  success  he  had  had.  He  answered  :  "  Try  your- 
selves ;  then  ye  will  know."  The  second  brother 
tried,  with  the  same  result  as  the  first.  At  last  the 
youngest,  who  was  called  Mirko,  went  in  and  declared 
the  cause  of  his  coming.  The  king  answered  him  not, 
but  seized  the  sword  in  still  greater  anger,  and  hurled 
it  at  him  so  that  it  entered  the  stone  wall  up  to  the  hilt. 
Mirko  did  not  spring  aside,  but  went  to  the  sword, 
drew  it  out  of  the  stone  wall,  took  it  to  the  king,  his 
father,  and  placed  it  before  him  on  the  table. 

Seeing  this,  the  king  opened  his  mouth  and  said  to 
Mirko :  "  I  see  now,  my  son,  that  thou  knowest  some- 
what better  than  thy  two  brothers  what  honor  is ;  to 
thee  then  will  I  give  answer.  My  one  eye  weeps 
unceasingly  for  sadness  at  your  insignificance,  not 
being  fit  to  rule ;  but  my  other  eye  laughs  because 
in  the  time  of  my  youth  I  had  a  trusty  comrade,  the 
Hero  of  the  Plain,  who  battled  by  my  side,  and  he 
promised  that  if  he  should  overpower  his  enemies  he 
would  come  to  dwell  with  me,  that  we  might  pass  the 
days  of  our  old  age  together.  For  this  reason  I  sit 


436        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

ever  by  the  window  next  the  rising  sun,  because 
I  await  his  coming;  but  every  day  there  rise  up 
against  the  Hero  of  the  Plain,  who  dwells  in  the 
silken  meadow,  as  many  enemies  as  there  are  grass- 
blades  on  the  field.  Every  day  he  unaided  cuts  them 
down ;  and  until  all  his  enemies  have  disappeared,  he 
will  not  be  able  to  come  to  me." 

With  that  Mirko  left  his  father's  chamber,  came  out 
to  his  brothers,  and  told  them  the  king's  speech. 
They  counselled  together  again,  and  agreed  to  ask 
leave  of  the  king  to  try  their  fortune.  First  the 
eldest  son  went  to  his  father  and  made  known  his 
wish.  The  king  consented,  and  the  eldest  brother 
went  to  the  royal  stables  where  he  chose  a  good 
steed,  which  he  saddled  next  day,  and  set  out  on 
his  journey.  After  he  had  been  absent  a  whole 
year,  behold  he  rides  home,  bearing  on  his  shoul- 
ders the  top  of  the  copper  bridge,  which  he  threw 
down  before  the  palace.  He  went  in  then,  stood 
before  the  face  of  the  king,  and  told  him  where  he 
had  been  and  what  he  had  brought  back. 

The  king  heard  his  son's  discourse  to  the  end,  and 
said :  "  Oh,  my  son,  when  I  was  of  thy  age  the  road 
to  the  copper  bridge  was  a  two  hours'  ride  for  me. 
Thou  art  a  soft  hero.  Thou  writ  never  make  vitriol. 
Go  thy  way." 

With  that,  the  eldest  son  left  his  father's  chamber. 
After  him  the  second  brother  went  in,  and  asked 
leave  of  the  king  to  try  his  fortune.  Having  received 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  437 

it,  he  went  also  to  the  stables  and  chose  a  good  steed, 
which  he  saddled,  mounted,  and  went  his  way.  At 
the  end  of  a  year  he  came  home,  bringing  the  top  of 
the  silver  bridge,  which  he  threw  down  in  front  of  the 
palace  ;  then  he  stood  before  the  king,  his  father,  and 
told  him  where  he  had  been  and  what  he  had  brought 
back. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  king,  "  when  I  was  of  thy  age  that 
was  only  a  three  hours'  ride  for  me.  Thou  too  art  a 
soft  hero ;  nothing  at  all  will  come  of  thee."  With 
that  he  dismissed  the  second  son. 

At  last  Mirko  appeared ;  he  also  asked  to  try  his 
fortune.  The  king  consented,  and  Mirko  went  to  the 
stables  to  choose  a  steed.  Finding  nothing  to  his 
mind,  he  went  out  to  the  royal  stud  and  examined  it 
carefully,  but  could  not  decide  which  steed  to  take. 
Just  then  an  old  witch  chanced  to  be  passing  that 
way,  and  asked  what  he  wanted.  Mirko  told  her. 
"  Oh,  my  master,"  said  she,  "  thou  wilt  not  find  a 
horse  to  thy  wish  here,  but  I  will  tell  thee  how  to  find 
one.  Go  to  the  king,  thy  father,  and  ask  him  for  the 
horn  with  which  in  his  youth  he  called  together  his 
golden-haired  steeds.  Sound  this  horn  and  the  steeds 
will  appear  at  once.  Choose  not  among  the  golden- 
haired  ones ;  but  last  of  all  will  come  a  shaggy-coated, 
crooked-legged  old  mare,  —  thou  wilt  know  her  by 
this,  that  when  she  strikes  the  pillars  with  her  tail  the 
whole  palace  will  tremble  from  the  blow.  Choose 
her;  try  thy  fortune  with  her." 


438        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


Mirko  took  the  old  witch's  advice,  went  straight- 
way to  the  king  and  said :  "  My  father,  I  have  come 
that  thou  mayest  give  me  the  horn  with  which  in  thy 
youth  thou  wert  wont  to  call  together  thy  golden- 
haired  steeds." 

The  king  asked :   "  Who  told  thee  of  this  horn?  " 

"  No  man,"  answered  Mirko. 

"  Well,  my  dear  son,  if  no  man  told  thee,  thou  art 
wise ;  but  if  some  man  told  thee,  he  does  not  wish  thee 
harm.  I  will  tell  thee  where  to  find  the  horn ;  the 
rust  has  eaten  it  up,  perhaps,  by  this  time.  In  the 
seventh  cellar  it  is  enclosed  in  the  wall ;  look  for  it, 
take  it  out,  and  make  use  of  it  if  thou  art  able." 

Mirko  called  a  mason,  went  with  him  to  the  seventh 
cellar,  found  the  hollow  place  in  the  wall,  took  out 
the  horn,  and  carried  it  away.  Then  standing  on  the 
square  before  the  palace,  he  sounded  towards  the 
east,  the  west,  the  south,  and  the  north,  and  having 
waited  a  little,  behold!  he  hears  the  golden  horse 
bells  ringing  so  that  the  whole  city  is  full  of  the  sound. 
The  steeds  came  in,  one  more  beautiful  than  the  other 
in  appearance  and  in  breed.  At  a  distance  he  saw 
the  shaggy-haired,  crooked-legged  mare;  and  when 
she  came  to  the  gate,  as  true  as  I  live,  she  struck  the 
pillars  with  her  tail  so  that  the  whole  palace  trembled. 

When  the  steeds  had  stopped  in  the  courtyard, 
Mirko  went  up  to  the  mare,  led  her  away  to  the 
stable,  and  then  said  that  he  had  taken  her  to  try  his 
fortune.  The  magic  mare  answered :  "  That  is  well, 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  439 

my  lord  king's  son;  but  first  thou  must  feed  me, 
for  without  that  it  will  be  hard  to  endure  the  long 
road." 

"  What  kind  of  food  dost  thou  wish?  —  for  whatever 
my  father  has,  I  will  give  thee  with  a  good  heart." 

"Very  well,  kind  master;  but  a  steed  must  be  fed 
before  starting,  not  while  on  the  road." 

"  I  know  not  what  I  can  do,"  said  Mirko,  "  except 
to  give  what  I  have  with  a  good  heart." 

"  Bring  me  straightway  a  measure  of  peas,  and  turn 
them  into  the  manger." 

Mirko  obeyed,  and  when  the  peas  were  eaten,  he 
brought  a  measure  of  beans ;  when  these  were  eaten 
the  mare  turned  to  Mirko  and  said :  "  Now  bring  me 
half  a  measure  of  glowing  coals." 

The  coals  were  brought ;  and  when  she  had  eaten 
the  glowing  coals,  she  became  such  a  golden-haired 
steed  as  the  Star  of  Dawn,  and  spoke  further  to  Mirko. 
"  Go  now,  my  master,  to  the  king,  and  ask  of  him 
that  saddle  which  he  used  when  he  coursed  the 
meadow  with  me  in  his  youth." 

Mirko  went  to  the  old  king  and  asked  for  the  sad- 
dle. The  king  answered  that  it  was  useless,  for  it 
had  been  thrown  about  a  long  time  in  the  carriage- 
house,  but  if  he  could  find  it,  he  might  take  it.  Mirko 
went  to  the  carriage-house  and  found  the  saddle  all 
befouled  by  the  hens  and  turkeys.  He  took  it,  how- 
ever, to  his  steed,  which  said  that  it  was  not  proper 
for  a  king's  son  to  sit  on  such  a  saddle.  Mirko  was 


440       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

about  to  carry  it  away  and  have  a  fresh  cover  put  on, 
when  she  said :  "  Place  it  before  me."  He  obeyed. 
Straightway  she  blew  on  it,  and  in  an  instant  it  be- 
came such  a  golden  saddle  that  its  like  could  not  be 
found  in  seven  kingdoms. 

With  this  he  saddled  the  magic  mare,  and  she  said  : 
"  Go  now,  my  dear  master,  to  thy  father,  and  ask  him 
for  the  weapons  and  the  sword  with  which  he  fought 
when  he  journeyed  with  me." 

Mirko  asked  his  father;  the  old  king  said  they 
were  on  the  shelf  if  he  wanted  them.  Mirko  took 
them  to  the  mare,  who  blew  on  them,  and  instantly 
they  became  the  most  beautiful  gold-mounted  sword 
-and  weapons.  Mirko  girded  on  the  sword  and  took 
the  weapons.  Then  the  bridle  was  brought,  and 
when  blown  upon  became  of  the  most  beautiful 
gold. 

Mirko  bridled  the  mare,  led  her  out  of  the  stable, 
and  wished  to  sit  in  the  saddle,  but  she  said :  "  Wait, 
my  dear  master ;  lead  me  out  of  the  city  first,  and  then 
sit  on  me."  He  hearkened  to  these  words,  and  led 
her  out  of  the  city ;  then  she  stood  still,  and  he  sat  in 
the  saddle. 

The  magic  steed  now  asked :  "  How  shall  I  bear 
thee,  dear  master;  with  the  speed  of  the  fleet  whirl- 
wind, or  of  quick  thought?  " 

"Carry  me  as  may  please  thee,"  answered  the 
prince ;  "  only  manage  so  that  I  shall  endure  the  swift 
flight." 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  441 

"  Well,  close  thy  eyes,"  said  the  steed,  "  and  hold 
fast." 

Mirko  closed  his  eyes;  the  steed  shot  on  like  a 
rushing  whirlwind,  and  after  a  short  time  struck  the 
earth  with  her  foot,  and  said  to  Mirko:  "Open  thy 
eyes  !  What  dost  thou  see?  " 

"  I  see,"  said  he,  "  a  great  river  and  a  copper 
bridge." 

"That,  my  dear  master,  is  the  bridge  the  top  of 
which  thy  first  brother  brought  home;  but  look  for 
the  open  place." 

"  I  see  it,"  said  Mirko ;  "  but  where  are  we  going 
from  here?  " 

"  Only  close  thy  eyes ;  I  will  take  thee  straight 
there." 

With  that  she  moved  as  quick  as  thought,  and  in  a 
few  moments  struck  the  earth,  stood  still,  and  said  to 
Mirko :  "  Open  thy  eyes  !  What  dost  thou  see?  " 

"  I  see  a  great  river,  and  across  it  a  silver  bridge." 

"  That  is  the  bridge  the  top  of  which  thy  second 
brother  took  home ;  look  for  the  open  place." 

"  I  see  it,"  said  Mirko ;  "  but  where  do  we  go  from 
here?" 

"Only  close  thy  eyes,"  said  the  steed;  "I  will 
take  thee  at  once." 

With  that  she  moved  on  like  lightning,  and  in  a 
flash  stamped  on  the  ground,  and  said  to  the  prince : 
"  Open  thy  eyes  !  What  dost  thou  see?  " 

"  I  see,"  said    Mirko,  "  an   enormously  wide   and 


442        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

deep  river,  across  it  a  golden  bridge,  and  at  both 
ends  of  the  bridge,  at  this  side  and  that,  are  four  un- 
mercifully large  lions.  Must  we  cross  this  bridge  ?  " 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  steed,  "  I  '11  manage ;  only 
shut  thy  eyes." 

The  mare  sped  on  like  a  swift  falcon,  and  thus  flew 
across  the  bridge.  After  a  short  time  she  struck  the 
ground,  and  said :  "  Open  thy  eyes !  What  dost 
thou  see?" 

"  I  see,"  replied  Mirko,  "  a  summitless,  high  glass 
mountain,  as  steep  as  the  side  of  a  house." 

"  We  must  cross  that  very  mountain,  my  master." 

"  That,  I  think,  is  impossible,"  said  Mirko. 

"  Fear  not,"  said  the  steed ;  "  for  I  have  on  my 
feet  the  shoes  which  thy  father  fastened  to  me  with 
diamond  nails,  seven  hundred  years  ago.  Only  shut 
thy  eyes  and  hold  to  me  firmly." 

Now  the  steed  sprang  up,  and  in  an  instant  was  on 
the  glass  mountain.  She  stamped,  and  said,  "  Open 
thy  eyes  !  What  dost  thou  see?  " 

"  I  see,"  said  Mirko,  "  when  I  look  behind,  some- 
thing dark,  as  large  as  a  great  plate." 

"  Oh,  my  master,  that  is  the  round  of  the  earth. 
But  what  dost  thou  see  before  thee?" 

"  I  see  a  narrow  glass  road,  rising  like  a  half  cir- 
cle. On  both  sides  of  it  is  emptiness  of  bottomless 
depth." 

"  My  dear  master,  we  must  pass  over  that  road ; 
but  the  passage  is  so  delicate  that  if  one  of  my  feet 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  443 

slip  the  least  bit  to  one  side  or  the  other,  there  is  an 
end  to  our  lives.  But  trust  thyself  to  me,  and  close 
thy  eyes.  Hold  fast,  I  will  manage." 

With  that  she  swept  on,  and  in  an  instant  stamped 
again.  "  Open  thy  eyes  !  What  dost  thou  see?  " 

"  I  see  behind  me,"  said  Mirko,  "  a  faint  light,  in 
front  of  me  is  darkness  so  dense  that  when  I  hold 
my  ringer  before  my  eyes  I  cannot  see  it." 

"Well,  we  must  go  through  that  also;  shut  thy 
eyes  and  hold  firmly." 

She  sped  on  anew,  and  again  stamped.  "  Open 
thy  eyes  !  What  dost  thou  see  now?  " 

"  I  see,"  said  Mirko,  "  the  most  glorious,  light, 
beautiful,  snow-covered  mountains,  and  in  the  midst 
of  them  a  silken  meadow ;  in  the  centre  of  the  silken 
meadow  something  dark." 

"  This  silken  meadow,"  said  the  steed,  "  belongs  to 
the  Hero  of  the  Plain;  and  the  dark  object  in  the 
middle  is  his  tent,  woven  from  black  silk.  Now  close 
thy  eyes  or  not  as  may  please  thee.  We  shall  go 
there  directly."  Mirko  spurred  the  steed,  and  they 
were  at  the  tent  in  a  twinkle. 

Mirko  sprang  from  his  steed  and  left  her  at  the  tent 
by  the  side  of  that  of  the  Hero  of  the  Plain,  and  en- 
tered himself.  Within  lay  a  warrior  stretched  on  the 
silken  grass,  sleeping;  but  a  sword  above  him  was 
cutting  around  in  every  direction,  so  that  a  fly  could 
not  light  on  his  body.  "Well,"  thought  Mirko  to 
himself,  "  though  he  be  a  good  warrior  I  could  slay 


444       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

him  in  slumber ;  but  it  would  not  be  honorable  to  slay 
a  sleeping  man.  I  will  wait  till  he  rises."  Then  he 
went  out  and  tied  his  steed  fast  to  the  tent,  near  the 
other,  stretched  himself  on  the  silken  grass,  and 
called :  "  Sword  out  of  thy  sheath !  "  and  the  sword 
cut  around  above  him,  as  his  sword  above  the  Hero 
of  the  Plain,  so  that  a  fly  could  not  touch  his  body. 

When  the  Hero  of  the  Plain  woke  up  and  saw  that 
a  horse  was  tied  near  his  own,  he  marvelled,  and  said : 
"What  does  this  mean?  I  am  here  seven  hundred 
years,  and  I  have  not  seen  a  strange  horse  near  mine 
before.  Whose  can  this  be?"  He  rose,  went  out, 
and  saw  Mirko  sleeping  near  the  tent  with  the  sword 
cutting  above  him.  "  That,"  said  he,  "  is  an  honest 
warrior ;  he  has  not  slain  me  while  sleeping.  It 
would  not  become  me  to  touch  him  now." 

Then  he  pushed  the  foot  of  the  sleeping  hero  with 
his  own.  Mirko  jumped  up  straightway,  and  the 
Hero  of  the  Plain  asked:  "Who  art  thou,  and  on 
what  journey?  "  Mirko  told  whose  son  he  was,  and 
what  his  journey.  "  God  has  brought  thee,  dear 
younger  brother,"  said  the  Hero;  "thy  father  is  my 
old  friend,  and  thou,  I  see,  art  as  good  as  thy  father. 
But  I  have  need  of  thee.  This  great  silken  meadow 
which  thou  seest,  is  every  day  filled  with  enemies, 
and  every  day  I  cut  them  down ;  but  to-day  as  thou 
art  with  me,  we  shall  not  hurry.  Come,  let  us  eat 
and  drink ;  let  them  crowd."  Then  the  two  went  in, 
ate  and  drank  till  the  enemy  had  so  increased  that 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  445 

they  reached  almost  to  the  tent.  The  Hero  of  the 
Plain  sprang  then  to  his  feet  and  said :  "  Up,  my  com- 
rade, we  '11  soon  finish."  Both  leaped  into  their  sad- 
dles and  rushed  to  the  centre  of  the  enemy,  crying 
out,  "  Sword  from  the  sheath !  "  The  swords  hewed 
off  the  heads  of  the  countless  multitude,  so  there  was 
scarcely  room  to  move  for  bodies.  Twelve  of  the  op- 
posing warriors  now  flee  from  the  rear,  the  Hero  of 
the  Plain  and  Mirko  pursuing.  They  come  to  a  glass 
mountain;  the  twelve  warriors  rushing  ahead.  Mirko 
pursues  in  hot  haste.  On  the  top  of  the  mountain 
there  is  a  nice,  level  space ;  he  sees  them  running 
upon  it.  He  gallops  after  them ;  but  all  at  once  they 
are  as  if  the  ground  had  swallowed  them.  Mirko 
springs  to  the  place  where  they  disappear,  finds  a 
breach  and  a  deep  opening  with  winding  steps.  His 
steed  rushes  into  the  opening  and  down  the  stairs ; 
they  are  soon  in  the  lower  world. 

Mirko  looks  around  the  lower  world  and  sees  a 
shining  diamond  castle,  which  serves  instead  of  the 
sun  .down  there.  The  twelve  fleeing  warriors  rush 
towards  the  castle,  he  after  them,  and  ordering  his 
sword  out  of  the  sheath,  cuts  off  their  heads  in  a  mo- 
ment. The  next  instant  Mirko  stands  before  the  dia- 
mond castle.  Within,  there  is  such  a  clatter  and 
pounding  that  the  whole  interior  trembles  and  shivers. 
He  dismounts  and  enters.  Inside  is  an  old  witch 
weaving,  and  the  racket  is  deafening.  The  building  is 
full  of  armed  men.  The  infernal  old  witch  weaves 


446        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

them.  When  she  throws  her  shuttle  tp  the  right,  two 
hussars  spring  out  on  horseback ;  when  she  throws  it 
to  the  left,  two  men  on  foot  jump  out  armed. 

Meanwhile  Sword  out  of  the  Sheath  cuts  down  the 
newly  made  soldiers,  but  the  old  witch  weaves  more. 
"Well,"  thinks  Mirko  to  himself,  "I  shall  never 
get  out  of  here,  at  this  rate ;  "  but  he  commands 
the  sword,  and  it  cuts  the  old  witch  into  small  pieces. 
Then  he  carries  the  loom  into  the  yard,  where  there 
is  a  pile.  He  throws  everything  on  the  pile  and  sets 
fire  to  it;  but  when  all  is  burned  one  of  the  old  witch's 
ribs  springs  out,  begins  to  turn  round  in  the  dust,  and 
she  rises  up  again  entire.  Again  Mirko  is  going  to 
command  the  sword  to  cut  her  to  pieces,  but  she 
speaks  up,  "  Spare  my  life,  Mirko,  and  await  one 
good  deed  for  another,  if  thou  wilt  let  me  go.  Thou 
dost  not  know  how  to  escape  from  here ;  I  will  give 
thee  four  diamond  horse-shoe  nails.  Do  as  I  say; 
thou  wilt  profit  by  it." 

Mirko  takes  the  nails  and  puts  them  away,  but  says 
to  himself:  "  If  I  leave  the  old  witch  alive,  she  will 
put  up  her  loom  again,  and  the  Hero  of  the  Plain 
will  never  be  able  to  free  himself  from  his  enemies." 
Again  he  orders  his  sword  to  cut  the  old  witch  in 
pieces ;  he  throws  the  pieces  into  the  fire,  where  they 
are  consumed,  so  that  she  can  never  rise  again.  He 
mounts  his  steed  and  searches  the  underground  world, 
but  nowhere  does  he  find  a  living  soul. 

Then  he  puts  spurs  to  his  steed,  springs  up  the  cir- 


Mirko,  the  Kings  oSlfc.  imir*      447 

cular  stairs,  and  issues  forth  into  the  upper  world. 
Straightway  he  comes  down  from  the  glass  mountain, 
and  passing  over  the  silken  meadow,  returns  to  the 
Hero  of  the  Plain,  who  thought  Mirko  had  left  him. 
But  when  he  saw  his  friend  returning,  he  went  out 
to  meet  him  with  great  joy,  and  took  him  into  the 
tent,  where  they  feasted  together  gloriously.  And 
when  the  prince  rose  to  go,  he  offered  him  his 
silken  meadow  and  all  the  royal  domains;  but 
Mirko  answered :  "  My  dear  elder  brother,  I  have 
finished  thy  enemies;  they  will  never  attack  thy 
kingdom  again.  I  have  this  now  to  ask,  that  thou 
come  with  me  to  my  father  the  king,  who  has  long 
been  waiting  for  thee." 

Thereupon  they  mounted  their  steeds,  and  set  out 
for  the  realms  of  the  old  king.  They  went  on  easily 
till  they  reached  the  glass  mountain,  where  the  Hero 
of  the  Plain  stopped,  and  said :  "  My  dear  younger 
brother,  I  cannot  go  on,  for  the  diamond  nails  are 
long  since  worn  from  my  horse's  shoes,  and  his  feet 
have  no  grip." 

Mirko  called  to  mind  that  the  cursed  old  witch 
had  given  him  the  diamond  nails,  and  said :  "  Grieve 
not,  elder  brother,  I  have  nails ;  I  '11  shoe  thy  horse 
this  minute." 

So  he  took  out  the  nails,  and  shod  the  Hero's 
horse.  Then  they  continued  their  journey  over  the 
glass  mountain  with  ease  and  comfort,  like  two  jolly 
comrades,  and  sped  homeward  as  swiftly  as  thought. 


448       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


At  that  time  the  old  king  was  sitting  at  the  win- 
dow of  his  palace  next  the  rising  sun,  and  lo !  he 
beholds  two  horsemen  riding  towards  him.  Straight- 
way he  takes  his  field-glass,  and  sees  that  it  is  his 
trusty  old  comrade,  the  Hero  of  the  Plain,  together 
with  his  son  Mirko.  He  runs  out,  and  from  the 
tower  commands  that  a  twelve-year  old  ox  be 
killed ;  and  when  Mirko  and  the  Hero  arrive,  the 
great  feast  is  ready.  He  receives  them  with  joy, 
kisses  and  embraces  them;  this  time  both  his  eyes 
are  laughing.  Then  they  sat  down  to  the  feast,  ate 
and  drank  with  gladness.  Meanwhile  the  Hero  of 
the  Plain  spoke  of  Mirko's  doings,  and  among  other 
things  said  to  the  old  king:  "  Well,  comrade,  thy 
son  Mirko  will  be  a  better  hero  than  we  were ;  he  is 
already  a  gallant  youth.  Thou  hast  cause  to  rejoice 
in  him." 

"  Indeed,  I  begin  to  be  satisfied  with  him,"  said 
the  king,  "  especially  since  he  has  brought  thee.  But 
I  do  not  think  he  would  venture  yet  to  measure 
strength  with  Doghead." 

Mirko  heard  the  conversation,  but  said  nothing. 
After  dinner,  however,  he  spoke  to  the  Hero  of  the 
Plain  apart,  and  inquired  who  Doghead  was,  and  in 
what  direction  he  lived.  The  Hero  of  the  Plain  told 
him  that  Doghead  lived  in  the  north,  and  was  such 
a  hero  that  his  like  was  not  under  the  sun. 

Mirko  made  preparations  for  his  journey,  took 
provisions,  and  next  day  set  out  for  Doghead's. 


: 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  449 

According  to  his  wont,  he  sat  on  his  steed,  held 
fast,  and  closed  his  eyes.  The  steed  sped  on,  fly- 
ing like  the  swift  whirlwind.  At  length  she  stopped, 
struck  the  ground,  and  said  to  Mirko :  "  Open  thy 
eyes!  What  dost  thou  see?" 

"  I  see,"  said  the  prince,  "  a  seven-story  diamond 
castle,  so  bright  that  I  can  look  on  the  sun,  but  not 
on  it." 

"Well,  Boghead  lives  there;  that  is  the  royal 
castle." 

Mirko  sprang  towards  it,  stopped  right  under 
the  window,  and  called  out  in  a  loud  voice :  "  Art 
thou  here,  Doghead?  I  have  an  account  to  settle 
with  thee." 

Doghead  was  not  at  home,  but  his  daughter  was, 
and  such  a  beautiful  princess  that  her  like  could  not 
be  found  on  the  whole  round  of  the  earth.  As  she 
sat  by  the  window  embroidering,  and  heard  the  loud, 
piercing  voice,  she  looked  out  so  angrily  with  her  won- 
drous black,  beautiful  eyes  that  Mirko  and  his  horse 
were  turned  into  stone  in  an  instant  from  the  flash. 
Then  she  thought :  "  Maybe  this  young  man  is  a 
king's  son."  She  went  to  look  at  him,  was  sorry  she 
had  turned  him  to  stone  so  quickly,  and  approached, 
taking  a  golden  rod,  walked  around  the  stone  statue 
and  struck  it  on  all  sides  with  the  rod.  The  stone 
began  to  move,  and  in  a  moment  Mirko  and  his 
horse  stood  alive  before  her.  Then  the  maiden 
asked,  "  Who  art  thou,  and  on  what  journey?  " 

29 


45 o       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Mirko  answered  that  he  was  a  king's  son,  and  had 
come  to  see  Boghead's  daughter. 

The  maiden  was  so  displeased  that  she  called  out 
to  her  father  very  angrily;  but  presently  she  thought 
better  of  it,  fell  in  love  with  Mirko,  and  led  him  up 
into  the  seven-story  diamond  palace,  where  she  saw 
him  with  a  good  heart.  During  conversation  at  the 
table,  Mirko  confessed  that  he  had  come  to  try  his 
strength  with  Doghead. 

The  maiden  advised  him  not  to  do  that,  since  there 
•was  no  man  on  the  round  of  the  earth  whom  her 
father  could  not  conquer.  Seeing,  however,  that 
Mirko  would  not  desist  from  his  purpose,  she  took 
compassion  on  him,  and  told  how  her  father  might, 
perhaps,  be  overcome.  "  Go  down,"  said  she  "  into 
the  seventh  cellar  of  the  castle.  There  thou  wilt 
•find  an  unsealed  cask,  in  which  my  father  keeps 
his  strength.  Here  is  a  silver  flask ;  fill  it  from  the 
cask.  Do  not  stop  the  flask,  but  keep  it  always 
hanging  from  thy  neck  uncorked;  and  when  thy 
strength  begins  to  fail,  dip  thy  little  finger  in.  Every 
time  thou  shalt  do  so,  thy  strength  will  be  increased 
with  the  strength  of  five  thousand  men.  Drink  of 
the  wine,  for  every  drop  contains  the  strength  of  five 
thousand  men." 

Mirko  listened  to  her  advice  attentively,  hung  the 
flask  upon  his  neck,  went  into  the  cellar,  and  found 
the  wine.  He  took  a  good  draught  of  it ;  then  think- 
ing that  he  had  enough,  and  lest  Doghead  might 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  451 

make  further  use  of  the  wine,  he  poured  it  all  on  the 
ground,  to  the  last  drop.  There  were  six  measures 
of  wheat-flour  in  the  cellar,  which  he  sprinkled 
around  to  absorb  the  moisture.  Having  done  this, 
he  went  up  to  Doghead's  daughter,  and  declared 
that  he  was  ready,  and  thanking  her  for  the  counsel, 
vowed  to  take  her  as  wife  for  her  kindness,  and 
swore  eternal  fidelity. 

The  beautiful  princess  consented,  making  one  con- 
dition, —  that  if  Mirko  should  overcome  her  father, 
he  would  spare  his  life. 

Mirko  asked  the  maiden  when  her  father  might  be 
expected  to  return,  and  from  what  quarter. 

She  answered  that  he  was  then  in  the  realms  of 
the  setting  sun,  that  he  took  delight  in  those  regions, 
but  would  soon  be  home,  for  it  was  the  hour  of  his 
coming.  But  it  was  easy  to  know  it  beforehand, 
for  when  he  was  forty  miles  distant,  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  hurling  home  a  forty-hundred-pound  club 
before  him;  and  wherever  it  fell  a  fountain  gushed 
out  of  the  earth. 

Mirko  and  the  princess  went  on  the  balcony  to 
wait  for  Boghead;  all  at  once  (the  Lord  save  us!) 
the  sky  grew  dark,  and  a  forty-hundred-pound  club 
fell  in  the  court-yard.  A  stream  rushed  out  of  the 
earth  as  if  from  a  force-pump. 

Mirko  ran  down  straightway  to  see  how  much  his 
strength  had  increased.  He  picked  up  the  club, 
whirled  it  around  his  head,  and  let  it  go  so  that  it  came 


452        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

down  just  in  front  of  Boghead.  Boghead's  horse 
stumbled  over  the  club,  whereupon  his  master  flew 
into  a  rage,  and  cried  out :  "  May  the  wolves  and 
dogs  devour  thee !  Seven  hundred  years  have  I 
ridden  thee,  and  to  this  day  thou  hast  never  stum- 
bled. Why  begin  now?" 

"  Oh,  dear  master,"  answered  the  magic  steed, 
"  there  is  mighty  trouble  at  home;  for  the  club  which 
thou  hast  sent  ahead  has  been  hurled  back,  and  I 
stumbled  over  it." 

"  Oh,  that 's  nothing !  "  said  Boghead.  "  Seven 
hundred  years  ago  I  saw  in  a  dream  that  I  should 
have  a  struggle  with  Mirko,  the  king's  son,  some 
day.  He  is  now  at  the  castle;  but  what  is  he  to  me? 
There  is  more  strength  in  my  little  finger  than  in  his 
whole  body."  With  that  Boghead  sped  homeward 
and  was  soon  there. 

Mirko,  the  king's  son,  was  waiting  in  the  court- 
yard, and  when  Boghead  saw  the  prince  he  made 
straight  towards  him  and  said :  "  Mirko,  I  know  that 
thou  art  waiting  for  me.  Well,  here  I  am ;  what  dost 
thou  wish,  that  we  should  fight  with  swords  or 
wrestle?  " 

"  I  care  not,"  answered  Mirko ;  "  any  way  that 
may  please  thee." 

"  Well,  let  us  try  it  first  with  swords,"  said  Bog- 
head. 

He  got  off  his  horse ;  they  stood  face  to  face,  and 
both  commanded  :  "  Sword  out  of  the  sheath." 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  453 

The  swords  sprang  out  in  fighting,  and  so  cut  above 
the  heads  of  the  two  that  the  whole  place  was  rattling 
with  their  blows.  Sparks  flew  so  thickly  from  their 
fierce  slashing  that  fire  covered  the  ground,  and  it 
was  impossible  to  stand  long  in  one  place. 

Then  Boghead  said :  "  Let  us  not  spoil  our  swords, 
but  put  them  up  and  try  wrestling." 

They  laid  aside  the  swords  and  began  to  wrestle. 
Boghead  seized  Mirko  by  the  body,  raised  him  up 
in  the  air,  and  so  planted  him  on  the  ground  that  he 
sank  in  it  up  to  the  girdle.  Mirko,  frightened  at 
this,  thrust  his  little  finger  into  the  flask,  and  became 
so  strong  that  he  sprang  out  of  the  earth  in  a  moment, 
rushed  at  Boghead,  and  so  stretched  him  on  the  ground 
that  he  lay  there  like  a  flattened  frog.  Then,  seizing 
him  by  the  hair,  he  dragged  him  toward  the  castle, 
where  a  golden  bridge  was  built  across  a  bottomless 
lake.  Having  brought  him  to  the  middle  of  the 
bridge,  he  held  his  head  above  the  water  and  com- 
manded the  sword  to  cut.  The  head  fell  into  the 
bottomless  lake,  and  Mirko  threw  the  body  after. 

Boghead's  daughter  saw  all  this,  and  was  power- 
fully angry  at  Mirko,  the  king's  son.  When  he  came 
before  her  she  turned  her  face  away  and  would  not 
come  to  speech  with  him.  But  Mirko  explained  that 
he  could  not  have  done  otherwise,  for  if  he  had 
spared  Boghead's  life,  he  would  have  lost  his  own ; 
but  as  he  had  pledged  his  faith  to  the  princess,  he 
held  to  his  word,  and  would  marry  her.  The 


454        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

princess  approved  this,  and  they  agreed  to  make 
ready  and  set  out  for  Mirko's  kingdom.  The  horses 
were  brought,  —  Boghead's  magic  steed  for  the 
princess.  They  mounted  the  horses,  but  when  ready 
to  start,  Mirko  became  very  sorrowful. 

"  Why  art  thou  sad  Mirko?  "  inquired  the  princess. 

"  Because,"  said  he,  "  I  wish  greatly  to  go  home, 
but  it  is  hard  to  leave  this  glorious,  seven-story  dia- 
mond castle  here,  which  was  thy  father's,  for  there  is 
none  like  it  in  our  kingdom." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,"  said  the  princess,  "  I  will  turn  it 
at  once  into  a  golden  apple.  I  will  sit  in  the  middle 
of  the  apple;  thou  mayst  put  it  in  thy  pocket,  and 
thus  carry  home  the  castle  and  me.  There  thou 
canst  change  it  back  again  whenever  the  wish 
comes." 

The  beautiful  princess  came  down  from  her  horse, 
gave  the  reins  to  Mirko,  and  taking  out  a  diamond 
rod  walked  around  the  building  and  struck  it  on  the 
sides  with  the  rod.  The  castle  began  to  shrink  to- 
gether, and  became  smaller  and  smaller  until  it  was 
the  size  of  a  watchman's  booth.  Then  she  jumped 
in  and  it  became  a  golden  apple,  but  the  diamond 
rod  remained  on  the  ground  outside.  Mirko,  the 
king's  son,  picked  up  the  golden  apple  and  the 
diamond  rod,  put  them  in  his  pocket,  sat  on  his  steed, 
and  leading  Boghead's  horse  by  the  bridle,  travelled 
home  comfortably. 

When  Mirko  had  come  home  and  seen  his  horses 


Mirko,  the  Kings  Son.  455 

in  the  stable  he  went  to  the  palace,  where  he  found 
the  old  king  with  the  Hero  of  the  Plain,  satisfied  and 
amused.  He  told  them  that  he  had  conquered  Dog- 
head  and  put  him  to  death;  but  the  old  king  and 
the  Hero  of  the  Plain  shook  their  heads. 

Mirko,  taking  them  both  by  the  hands,  said: 
"  Come  with  me,  and  I  will  show  you,  so  that  ye 
may  see  with  your  own  eyes  that  I  have  beaten 
Doghead ;  for  not  only  have  I  brought  his  seven- 
story  diamond  castle  with  me,  but  his  loveliest 
daughter  with  the  castle,  as  proof  of  my  work." 

The  old  king  and  the  Hero  of  the  Plain  marvelled 
at  Mirko's  speech,  and  were  in  doubt;  but  they  went 
with  him,  and  he  led  them  to  the  flowery  garden  of 
the  palace,  in  the  middle  of  which  Mirko  took  a 
beautiful  spacious  place  for  the  diamond  castle,  where 
he  put  down  the  golden  apple.  He  began  to  turn 
and  strike  it  on  the  sides  with  the  diamond  rod.  The 
apple  swelled  out  and  began  to  extend  with  four  cor- 
ners, and  grew  greater  and  greater,  till  it  became  a 
seven-story  diamond  castle  as  high  as  the  trees. 

Then  taking  them  by  the  hands  he  led  them  up  the 
diamond  staircase  and  entered  the  halls  of  the  castle, 
where  the  world-renowned  beautiful  princess  met  and 
received  them  with  a  good  heart.  Then  she  sent  for 
the  old  king's  other  sons  and  the  chief  men  of  his 
court.  In  the  dining-hall  was  a  great  horse-shoe 
table.  She  commanded  it ;  the  table  opened  of  itself, 
and  every  kind  of  precious  meat  and  drink  appeared 


45 6        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

upon  it.  Then  the  assembled  guests  feasted  joy- 
ously. The  old  king  was  satisfied  at  last  with  his 
son.  He  gave  Mirko  his  kingdom  and  all  his  posses- 
sions, but  he  withdrew  himself  to  quiet  private  life, 
with  the  Hero  of  the  Plain,  and  many  a  pleasant  day 
the  old  comrades  had  together;  and  the  old  king's 
two  eyes  were  always  laughing.  The  royal  pair  lived 
happily,  and  had  beautiful  children.  They  are  still 
alive  if  they  are  not  dead. 


THE  REED  MAIDEN. 

THERE  was  once  a  king,  and  he  had  two  sons. 
The  king  sent  his  eldest  son  to  marry.  He 
went,  and  chose  the  elder  sister  of  the  Reed  Maiden. 
When  he  brought  home  his  wife  the  king  was  satis- 
fied with  the  choice.  After  that  the  king  sent  his 
younger  son  to  marry,  and  he  answered  that  he  would 
not  take  any  poor  skeleton  of  a  thing,  but  that  his 
wife  must  be  the  most  beautiful  flower  on  the  whole 
round  of  the  earth,  —  the  most  lovely,  world-beauti- 
ful maiden. 

Once  the  king's  two  sons  went  to  hunt ;  on  the  way 
home  the  younger  said  to  the  elder:  "  My  dear  elder 
brother,  I  would  beg  of  thee  a  favor." 

"And  what  may  it  be,  younger  brother?  " 

"  In  truth,  no  other  than  this :  When  we  come 
home,  ask  thy  wife  if  there  is  any  one  more  beautiful 
than  she." 

"  If  that 's  thy  trouble,  it  is  no  great  matter,  for  my 
wife  is  just  coming  to  meet  us.  —  Well,  my  heart's 
gold-enclosed  ruby,  wilt  thou  answer  one  question? 
Thou  art  for  me  the  most  beautiful,  but  is  there  one 
still  more  beautiful  in  the  world  ?  " 

Now  the  princess  all  at  once  acted  like  one  hard 
of  hearing ;  she  answered  nothing,  but  stopped  them 


458        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

with  a  nod,  and  commanded  with  her  eye,  "  Silence  ! 
not  a  word  more." 

It  stopped  there.  The  younger  brother,  whatever 
he  did  not  do,  he  stole  into  his  brother's  bed-cham- 
ber quietly.  In  the  evening,  when  the  elder  brother 
and  his  wife  came  in,  the  husband  said :  "  Tell  me, 
my  heart's  heart,  why  didst  thou  not  answer  my 
question  a  little  while  ago?" 

"  I  did  not  answer,  dear  husband,  because  thou 
didst  ask  me  before  thy  brother.  It  would  not  have 
been  well  for  him  to  know  that  I  have  a  younger 
sister  who  is  the  most  beautiful  maiden  on  the  whole 
round  of  the  earth,  but  she  is  hidden  in  the  middle  one 
of  three  reeds ;  for  this  reason  she  is  known  as  the 
world-beautiful  Reed  Maiden.  The  other  two  reeds 
are  her  waiting-maids." 

"  But  thou  hast  not  told  me,  my  dear,  in  what  cor- 
ner of  the  world  she  is  hidden." 

"  Oh,  my  dear  husband,  it  is  far  from  here,  —  as  far 
as  from  here  there  and  from  there  back ;  but  as  thou 
hast  asked  I  will  tell  thee.  Hast  thou  heard  of  the 
fame  of  the  Black  Sea?" 

"  I  have  not,  indeed." 

"  Well,  if  thou  hast  not,  then  hear  now.  In  the 
seventy-seventh  island  of  the  Black  Sea,  right  in  the 
middle,  are  hidden  three  reeds,  but  no  mortal  could  go 
to  them  unless  by  some  magic  power  or  infernal  art ; 
but  if  by  a  miracle  he  should  get  there,  he  would  not 
be  able  to  bring  away  anything,  —  First,  because 


The  Reed  Maiden.  459 

there  is  such  darkness  on  the  islands  of  the  Black  Sea 
that  a  spoon  might  stand  up  in  it ;  second,  because 
the  world-beautiful   Reed   Maiden  is   guarded   by   a|t 
witch   whose   life   will  end  when  the  reeds  are  cut   * 
down ;  therefore  she  guards  them  as  the  light  of  her 
two  eyes,  or  still  more  carefully.     But  if  any  man 
could  bring  the  maiden  away,  he  would  be  the  happi- 
est person  in  the  wide  world ;  for  the  islands  would  be 
lighted  up,  and  he  would  gain  a  wife  whom  the  starry 
heavens  would  gaze  upon  with  smiles." 

When  the  king's  younger  son  had  heard  all  this 
from  root  to  branch,  he  went  out  of  the  room  by  the 
same  way  he  had  entered.  Then  saddling  his  best 
and  favorite  steed,  he  put  provisions  in  his  bag 
and  moved  out  into  the  wide  world  in  search  of  the 
beautiful  Reed  Maiden.  He  journeyed  and  travelled 
over  forty-nine  kingdoms  and  beyond  the  Operentsia 
Sea  till  he  came  to  a  hut ;  in  the  hut  an  old  woman 
was  living :  "  God  give  thee  good-day,  dear  old 
mother." 

"  If  thou  hadst  not  called  me  old  mother,  I  should 
have  eaten  thee  on  the  spot.  But  whither  art  thou 
journeying  in  this  strange  land,  where  even  a  bird 
does  not  go?" 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  world-beautiful  Reed  Maiden, 
who  is  blooming  in  the  seventy-seventh  island  of  the 
Black  Sea.  Hast  thou  not  heard  of  her,  dear  old 
mother?" 

"What's  the  use  in  denying,  my  son?     I  have  not 


460        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

heard.  Why  should  I  evade,  since  it  can  neither 
harm  nor  profit  me?  But  here  in  the  neighboring 
valley,  over  the  mountain,  straight  ahead,  near  a 
round  forest  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  lives  my  elder  sis- 
ter ;  if  she  knows  nothing  about  it,  then  no  one  in  the 
world  knows.  Here,  Mitsi,  come  out !  Conduct  the 
king's  son  to  my  elder  sister." 

The  king's  son  followed  Mitsi,  who  was  no  other 
than  a  large-whiskered  little  mouse.  When  they 
came  to  a  cross-road  Mitsi  squeaked  once,  showed 
the  middle  of  the  road,  and  ran  home.  The  king's 
son  went  along  the  right  road,  and  arrived  at  the  hut 
in  which  the  second  sister  lived.  She  received  him 
in  like  manner  as  the  first,  and  sent  her  servant, 
Pitsi,  to  show  him  the  road  to  her  eldest  sister. 
Pitsi  was  no  other  than  a  dove-white  squirrel,  with  a 
long  bushy  tail.  When  the  king's  son  came  to  the 
third  hut,  where  the  eldest  sister  lived,  he  said :  "  God 
give  thee  a  good-day,  dear  old  mother." 

"  If  thou  hadst  not  called  me  old  mother,  I  should 
have  eaten  thee  on  the  spot.  Whither  art  thou  wan- 
dering in  this  strange  land,  where  even  a  bird  does 
not  go?" 

"  I  am  in  search  of  the  world-beautiful  Reed 
Maiden,  who  is  blooming  in  the  seventy-seventh 
island  of  the  Black  Sea.  Hast  thou  not  heard  of 
her,  dear  old  mother?" 

"  Oh,  king's  son,  thou  wouldst  wear  off  thy  horse's 
legs  to  the  knees,  and  wear  out  twelve  pairs  of  iron 


The  Reed  Maiden.  461 

boots  on  thy  own  feet,  before  thou  couldst  reach 
that  place,  for  it  is  only  possible  to  go  there  on  a 
steed  that  has  sucked  dragon's  milk,  eaten  glowing 
coals,  and  drunk  the  fiery  flame;  but  thou  hast  in 
thy  head  three  golden  hairs,  grown  from  one  root,  of 
which  thou  hast  known  nothing  to  this  moment. 
Come  hither;  let  me  cut  them  out." 

The  king's  son  bent  down  his  head.  The  old 
woman  cut  out  the  three  golden  hairs.  "  See,  my 
son,  these  three  hairs  have  wondrous  power.  A  fairy 
gave  them  to  thy  father,  with  whom,  as  he  was  a 
beautiful  man,  she  fell  in  love,  and  thou  hast  inherited 
them.  Here  they  are ;  I  give  them  to  thee  with  this 
latch-string.  Go  up  on  this  terribly  high  mountain, 
which  in  front  of  my  hut  supports  the  heavens. 
When  thou  shalt  come  to  the  top,  strike  the  three 
golden  hairs  with  the  latch-string  three  times ;  at 
once  will  stand  before  thee  a  magic  steed  that  has 
grown  up  on  the  silken  meadow,  sucked  dragon's 
milk,  eaten  glowing  coals,  and  drunk  fiery  flames." 

The  king's  son  gave  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  kind- 
ness shown  him,  then  went  up  on  the  great  unclimb- 
able  mountain  that  supported  the  heavens.  When 
he  had  reached  the  top  he  took  out  the  three  golden 
hairs  and  struck  them  three  times  with  the  old  latch- 
string.  Behold,  a  fiery  cloud  rushed  towards  him  like 
a  shot  arrow,  with  a  fearful  rumbling  and  cracking, 
as  if  a  whole  stud  of  horses  were  before  it,  and  then 
stood  still  above  his  head.  All  at  once  he  heard 


462         Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

from  the  fiery  cloud  a  triple  neighing,  at  the  sound 
of  which,  as  of  a  bell,  the  earth  trembled  three  times. 
The  magic  steed  rushed  out,  and  like  a  flood,  like 
a  cloud-burst,  plunged  down  by  his  side,  blowing 
from  its  nostrils  varied  flames,  —  red,  blue,  and 
green.  The  latch-string  became  such  a  saddle  that 
for  the  fur  and  diamond  buttons,  and  silver  and  gold 
embroidery,  the  earth  could  not  be  seen. 

"  Hip,  hop  !  here  am  I,  dear  master !  That  there 
be  no  delay  in  thy  affair,  wilt  thou  not  sit  on  my 
back  that  I  may  be  off  with  thee?  Shall  I  go  like 
the  swiftest  whirlwind,  or  like  thought,  or  as  a  bird 
can  fly?" 

"  Go,  my  dear  steed,  in  such  fashion  that  there  may 
be  no  fault  in  thee  or  me." 

"  But  before  we  set  out  on  the  long  road,"  said  the 
magic  steed,  "  I  wish  to  say  this :  Since  such  dense 
darkness  reigns  in  the  islands  that  a  spoon  might 
stand  straight  in  it,  we  must  first  go  to  the  bright 
antechamber  of  the  Sun,  and  take  thence  one 
burning  ray." 

When  the  steed  had  thus  ended  the  speech,  he 
rose  in  the  airy  heavens.  They  journeyed  and  trav- 
elled across  forty-nine  kingdoms  till  they  came  to 
the  portals  of  the  earth,  where  two  bearded  wolves 
stood  on  guard.  These  wolves  stood  on  the  road 
and  demanded  toll.  The  toll  was  no  other  than 
two  pounds  of  flesh  from  the  good  steed.  Now,  if 
two  pounds  of  flesh  were  taken  from  the  steed,  it 


The  Reed  Maiden.  463 

would  be  but  half  magic,  and  so  would  never  reach 
the  end  of  the  road.  Whatever  the  king's  son  did 
not  do,  he  took  his  gleaming  clasp-knife  and  cut  out 
two  pounds  of  his  own  flesh ;  then  he  threw  it  to  the 
bearded  wolves,  and  only  on  this  condition  did  they 
let  him  pass. 

The  king's  son  pursued  his  way  till  he  came  to 
the  Sun's  bright  antechamber,  where  he  tied  his 
steed  to  a  diamond  pillar;  then  he  bathed  in  the 
fire-bath,  and  rubbed  with  fire-towels;  looking  at 
himself  from  head  to  foot  in  the  shining  wall  of 
the  antechamber  as  in  a  mirror,  he  combed  his  hair 
with  a  golden  comb.  Here,  'pon  my  soul,  what 
came  of  the  affair,  or  what  did  not,  a  subject-spirit  in 
the  service  of  the  Sun  became  enraged  in  good  earn- 
est (for  his  eyebrows  struggled  with  each  other),  —  no 
doubt  it  was  at  the  king's  son,  —  and  with  a  single 
breath,  which  the  son  of  the  hurricane  could  not 
withstand,  blew  straight  ahead,  so  that  the  king's  son 
did  not  feel  the  ground  under  his  feet  for  seventy- 
seven  miles.  Then  he  fell  into  a  terribly  dark  open- 
ing, and  groped  along  in  this  cavern,  feeling  his  way 
like  a  blind  man.  If  he  made  a  step,  he  trod  on  a 
serpent ;  if  he  felt  with  his  hand,  he  grasped  a  warty 
toad;  if  he  looked  around,  he  saw  only  red-eyed 
worms,  —  creeping,  crawling  things.  He  went  on  and 
on  till  he  heard  the  plash  of  seething  water.  The 
beating  of  iron  hammers  struck  his  ear-drum,  and  so 
struck  as  almost  to  break  it.  This  is  the  place  where 


464        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

thunderbolts  are  made.  He  went  on  till  he  came  to 
a  great  iron  gate,  standing  open  just  then ;  but  a  tre- 
mendous, cursed,  hundred-headed  dragon,  who  let  no 
one  pass,  kept  guard  there.  What  could  the  king's 
son  take  hold  of?  What  could  he  do  with  his  life? 
Here,  upon  my  soul !  what  he  did,  or  what  he  did 
not  do,  he  took  out  a  sweet-speaking,  magic  flute, 
and  blew  on  it  so  sadly  that  his  tears  rolled  down. 
Such  touching  notes  did  he  draw  from  the  flute 
that  the  great  powerful  beast  —  the  hundred-headed 
dragon  —  became  as  a  lamb,  lowered  his  bloody 
crest;  his  bristling  scales  dropped  smoothly,  one  on 
the  other;  he  stretched  on  the  ground,  and  cowered, 
whining  like  a  dog  when  he  beholds  his  master  after 
an  absence.  Seeing  this,  the  king's  son  grew  bold, 
and  going  straight  to  the  dragon,  stepped  upon  him, 
walked  on  his  back,  and  the  terrible  wild  beast  did 
not  mind  it ;  he  only  licked  his  foot,  wagged  his  tail, 
and  let  the  king's  son  pass  over. 

After  he  had  gone  through  the  gate  the  darkness 
began  to  part;  and  no  wonder,  for  a  charm-given, 
lovely  maiden,  in  a  purple  velvet  robe,  stepped  be- 
fore him.  She  was  no  other  than  Dawn,  the  dearest 
and  best-beloved  daughter  of  the  Sun.  Now,  the 
splendid  young  prince  pleased  this  flower  of  the  skies. 
She  placed  him  by  her  side  on  her  winged  steed,  and 
flew  across  the  vault  of  heaven,  and  they  swept  on  till 
they  reached  the  razor  bridge.  When  they  touched 
the  bridge,  their  horse  became  as  if  he  were  not;  and 


The  Reed  Maiden.  465 

they  crossed  so  that  the  horse's  feet  were  not  injured, 
and  the  razor's  edge  was  not  dented.  Having  passed 
the  razor  bridge  they  came  to  the  copper  forest, 
where  were  working  at  that  moment  the  woodcutters 
of  the  Sun,  who  on  iron  wagons  were  taking  wood  to 
the  kitchen,  with  a  terrible  rattling  and  pounding. 
Thence  they  rode  to  the  silver  forest,  where  silver- 
white  birds  cheered  every  wanderer.  Two  of  the  birds 
came  and  sang  the  sweetest  notes.  The  silver-trees 
inclined  thrice  to  the  daughter  of  the  Sun.  Next  they 
reached  the  golden  forest,  where  sweet-voiced,  golden- 
yellow  birds  enlivened  the  visitors,  and  threw  down 
golden  nuts  here  and  there  from  the  trees.  The 
golden  forest  bent  thrice  to  the  daughter  of  the  Sun. 

In  the  middle  of  the  golden  forest  was  Dawn's 
garden ;  in  the  garden  her  copper-roofed  mansion. 
When  the  Beauty  of  the  Skies  came  home  the  pearly 
flowers  shook  their  bells,  and  began  to  sound.  On 
hearing  this,  the  stars  swept  forth  like  a  swarm,  and 
glittered  round  about.  The  maiden  nodded  but  once, 
and  behold !  purple  clouds  swam  before  her  like  so 
many  sky-sacks,  which  serve  on  the  extended  firma- 
ment as  boats.  Dawn  took  her  seat,  but  first  she 
spread  her  mantle  and  seated  the  king's  son  at  her 
side.  Lest  his  part  of  the  boat  might  be  heavier, 
she  drew  him  nearer  to  her  with  an  embrace;  but 
he  dared  not  embrace  in  return. 

They  sailed  and  sailed  through  the  airy  heavens  till 
they  were  weary;  then  they  tied  their  boat  to  the 

30 


466        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

tree  with  diamond  blossoms,  silver  leaves,  and  golden 
apples.  They  sat  on  a  golden  bench  under  the  tree, 
and  were  there  but  a  moment,  when  at  a  nod  from 
the  Sun's  daughter  a  golden  butterfly  appeared  more 
quickly  than  a  spoken  word,  and  brought  fresh-gath- 
ered honey  of  the  skies  on  a  rose-leaf.  When  they 
had  eaten,  thirst  seized  the  king's  son;  then  a  modest 
star  came  bringing  a  goblet  on  a  silver  tray,  in  the 
goblet  a  charm-drink,  and  when  the  king's  son  had 
drunk  from  the  golden  goblet  his  thirst  fell  away 
as  if  it  had  been  cut  in  two. 

When  their  hunger  and  thirst  were  gone,  at  the  Sun's 
daughter's  nod  the  modest  stars  brought  a  cithara. 
Dawn  then  played  on  its  golden  chords  with  silver 
feathers,  and  sounded  such  notes  that  a  man  hearing 
them  would  spring  up  and  whirl  in  the  dance,  even  if 
his  own  father  were  lying  dead  on  the  table.  After 
that  came  the  hour  of  rest;  the  king's  son  was  led 
across  seventy-seven  chambers  to  the  bath-room.  In 
the  middle  of  the  room  stood  a  great  golden  cask 
filled  with  dew,  and  on  a  boxwood  table  lay  lathery 
soap.  The  king's  son  bathed  in  the  dew-water, 
washed  himself  with  the  lathery  soap,  and  wiped  with 
a  towel  of  gold. 

When  he  rose  next  morning,  Dawn  gave  him  a 
burning  ray  which  she  wound  up  like  a  ribbon,  put 
in  a  box,  and  hung  with  a  golden  hair  on  the  neck  of 
the  king's  son.  After  that  they  parted  amidst  tear- 
shedding.  The  Sun's  daughter  sped  across  the  vault 


The  Reed  Maiden.  467 

of  heaven  on  her  winged  steed,  and  the  king's  son 
continued  his  journey. 

As  I  say,  he  had  a  ray  to  light  up  the  island.  The 
king's  son  journeyed  and  travelled  till  the  steed  spoke, 
saying :  "  Listen,  dear  master." 

"  What  is  thy  command,  dear  horse?  " 

"  Gird  thyself  well,  for  thou  must  cut  the  three 
reeds  at  a  blow;  a  second  blow  would  lose  thee  thy 
head.  If  at  one  blow  thou  succeed,  the  island  will  be 
lighted  up.  The  world-beautiful  maiden  and  her  two 
attendants  will  be  thine,  but  only  on  condition  that 
thou  cut  not  open  the  reeds  before  coming  to  water ; 
for  if  thou  dost,  they  will  die  a  fearful  death  in  a 
moment." 

The  king's  son  promised  by  heaven  and  earth  that 
he  would  act  as  told.  On  the  seventh  day  they  came 
to  the  island  of  the  Black  Sea,  where  there  was  such 
darkness  that  a  spoon  would  have  stood  up  in  it;  but 
the  king's  son  drew  out  the  box  hanging  by  the 
golden  hair  and  removed  the  cover.  All  at  once  the 
way  was  lighted,  but  so  strangely  that  it  gave  light 
only  to  him;  he  could  see  everything,  but  not  a 
created  soul  could  see  him.  When  he  came  to  where 
the  three  reeds  were  growing,  they  bent  before  him 
and  bowed  to  the  earth.  They  continued  to  bow ;  at 
the  best  moment  the  king's  son  drew  his  sword  and 
with  a  blow  all  three  reeds  fell  upon  his  breast.  But 
from  the  three  reed-stumps  black  blood  sprang  forth, 
and  a  bitter  wail  was  heard  as  if  a  naked  sword  had 


468        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


been  thrust  into  some  one's  heart.  It  had  been 
thrust  into  the  heart  of  the  witch ;  for  the  black  blood 
was  hers,  and  the  bitter  wail  was  her  death-sigh. 
She  could  only  live  while  the  three  reeds  stood.  As 
soon  as  the  old  witch  had  breathed  out  her  soul,  the 
burning  ray  flew  out  of  the  silver  box  as  if  it  had  been 
shot  from  a  gun,  and  the  whole  island  was  in  light. 

Then  the  king's  son  sat  on  his  good  steed  and 
journeyed  over  forty-nine  kingdoms  as  swiftly  as  the 
most  fleet-winged  bird  could  go.  Once  curiosity 
rose  in  him  to  know  if  there  was  indeed  something  in 
the  reeds,  and  what  it  could  be  like.  I  say,  curiosity 
rose  up  in  him,  and  bored  his  side  as  if  with  an  iron 
auger,  so  that  what  he  did  or  did  not  do,  he  took  out 
his  gleaming  knife  and  split  the  smallest  reed,  in 
which  was  the  youngest  attendant  of  the  world-beau- 
tiful Reed  Maiden.  No  sooner  had  he  split  the  reed 
than  a  beauteous,  pearl-given,  lovely  girl  fell  upon  his 
breast ;  and  her  first  word  was :  "  Water !  Only  as 
much  water  as  a  little  swallow  takes  in  her  beak  when 
she  gives  drink  to  her  young,  or  I  die !  " 

But  the  king's  son  had  it  not.  One  drop  of  water 
is  not  much,  but  he  could  not  give  that  much.  The 
beautiful  maiden,  like  a  broken  flower,  began  to 
wither,  grew  paler  and  paler,  till  at  last  the  pallor  of 
death  seized  her  head,  and  bending  to  the  breast  of 
the  king's  son,  she  died. 

The  king's  son  was  so  sorry  for  his  fault  that  if  it 
had  been  possible,  he  would  have  atoned  for  it  with 


The  Reed  Maiden.  469 

his  blood ;  but  that  was  not  possible.  Therefore  he 
came  down  from  his  good  steed,  dug  a  grave  with 
his  sword,  and  buried  the  maiden ;  as  a  grave-mark 
he  planted  the  split  reed,  and  from  it  a  black  rose 
sprang,  which  as  mourning,  bloomed  in  black. 

A  bitter  weeping  wail,  a  bitter  woe-cry  was  heard 
from  the  two  reeds  that  were  not  split  yet,  as  if  some 
one  were  bewailing  a  brother.  Great  sadness  seized 
the  king's  son  too,  who  thought,  "  I  caused  the  death 
of  this  maiden.  I  broke  this  flower  and  planted  it  in 
the  bosom  of  death."  But  if  he  had  wept  out  his  soul, 
it  would  have  been  useless ;  therefore  he  mounted  his 
steed  and  rode  farther.  He  travelled  and  journeyed 
till  curiosity  rose  in  his  breast,  and  bored  his  side  as 
with  an  iron  auger.  "  Is  there  in  the  second  reed  an- 
other such  maiden;  and  will  she  go  like  the  first?" 

At  last  he  could  resist  the  devil's  boring  no  longer ; 
so  he  took  his  gleaming  clasp-knife,  and  split  the 
second  reed  also.  Behold,  the  elder  attendant  of 
the  Reed  Maiden,  came  out,  saying :  "  Water,  water, 
or  I  shall  die  a  fearful  death !  "  But  the  king's  son 
had  not  one  drop  of  water ;  the  maiden  grew  paler 
and  paler,  till  she  dropped  her  head  on  the  breast 
of  the  king's  son,  and  died.  The  king's  son  came 
to  the  earth,  dug  a  grave  with  his  sword,  and  buried 
the  maiden.  At  the  head  of  the  grave  he  placed  the 
split  reed ;  from  it  a  beautiful  rose-bush  sprang  up, 
which  bloomed  in  black,  as  mourning. 

A  bitter  weeping  wail,  a  bitter  woe-cry  of  pain  was 


470       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


heard  from  the  unsplit  reed,  in  which  the  world- 
beautiful  maiden  herself  was  hidden;  and  no  less 
grief  seized  the  king's  son.  He  had  killed  two; 
with  his  own  strength  he  had  broken  two  beautiful 
flowers,  and  put  them  in  the  bosom  of  death.  Grief 
covered  him  with  black  wing.  His  good  steed  went 
as  a  bird  of  swiftest  flight  till  curiosity  rose  up  in  the 
breast  of  the  king's  son,  bored  his  side  as  with  an 
iron  auger.  "  What  sort  of  person  is  his  future 
bride?  who  is  the  world-beautiful  Reed  Maiden?" 

Since  he  could  not  resist  this  devil's  boring,  this 
mighty  curiosity,  he  took  out  the  third  and  last  reed 
to  split  it;  but  the  magic  steed  reached  back,  and 
taking  the  reed  from  the  king's  son,  did  not  return 
it  till  they  came  to  the  shore  of  a  lake. 

At  the  water  the  king's  son  split  the  last  reed,  and 
there  came  forth  such  a  maiden  that  her  like  was  not 
born  since  the  world  began,  nor  before,  nor  after. 
Her  first  word  was :  "  Water !  Only  as  much  water  as 
a  little  swallow  takes  in  her  beak  when  she  gives 
drink  to  her  young,  or  I  shall  die  in  a  moment !  " 

The  king's  son  gave  her  to  drink ;  she  felt  better. 
Then  they  embraced,  and  kissed,  saying,  "  I  am 
thine,  thou  art  mine." 

"  Listen,  my  beautiful  love,"  said  the  king's  son, 
"  while  I  ride  home  for  a  carriage  of  glass  and  gold 
do  thou  hide  in  this  willow;  but  till  I  see  thee, 
though  one  word  is  not  much,  speak  not  that  much 
to  any  one." 


The  Reed  Maiden.  471 

The  king's  son  rode  for  the  glass  and  golden  car- 
riage ;  the  maiden  climbed  the  willow  where  she  hid. 
Now,  what  came  of  the  affair,  and  what  did  not,  while 
the  king's  son  was  gone  a  crawfish-gathering  gypsy 
girl  happened  under  the  willow-tree,  and  looking  in 
the  water  she  saw  the  quivering  image  of  the  charm- 
ing maiden.  Putting  her  hand  on  her  hip  she  said : 
"  What  a  beautiful  shadow  I  have,  quite  worthy  of  a 
princess." 

"  It 's  thine  of  course  !  I  '11  tell  whose  it  is,"  said  a 
golden  bird  from  the  tree,  in  a  golden  voice. 

The  gypsy  looked  into  the  tree,  where  she  saw 
the  world-beautiful  princess,  for  the  sight  of  whom 
the  sun  would  have  stood  still  in  heaven.  The  girl 
said  nothing,  but  in  a  twinkle  she  dragged  the  mai- 
den from  the  tree  by  her  white  foot,  pulled  off  her 
purple  velvet  robe,  and  threw  her  into  the  water. 
The  maiden  did  not  sink,  but  shaking  herself,  turned 
into  a  golden-feathered  duck  and  swam  on  the  lake. 
The  gypsy  then,  ill  or  well,  put  on  the  purple  velvet 
robe,  which  sat  on  her  as  if  it  had  been  put  on  with  a 
fork  and  rake ;  then  she  sat  with  great  importance  on 
the  tree.  But  she  did  not  sit  long ;  for  seeing  the 
golden  duck,  she  jumped  down  and  began  to  throw 
stones  at  her.  She  threw  and  threw  so  many  that  her 
arm  grew  tired,  but  she  could  not  hit,  for  the  golden 
duck  dived  into  the  water  the  moment  a  stone  flew 
over  her.  At  last  the  gypsy  was  tired,  climbed  into 
the  willow-tree  and  waited  for  fortune. 


Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

She  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  soon  the  king's  son 
came  with  a  gold  and  glass  carriage  to  take  home 
the  golden  bird ;  but  the  gypsy  had  her  mind,  for  she 
would  not  come  down  from  the  tree  —  at  least  she 
said  so  —  till  he  should  shoot  the  golden  duck  on 
the  lake,  so  she  might  drink  its  red  blood,  and  eat 
its  tender  flesh. 

The  king's  son  took  his  arrow,  aimed  to  kill  the 
golden  duck;  but  the  gypsy  will  not  drink  its  red 
blood,  will  not  eat  its  tender  flesh,  for  the  arrow  never 
went  with  its  point  to  the  duck,  but  always  turned 
towards  her  the  feathered  end.  If  it  had  found  her,  it 
would  not  have  been  her  death.  The  king's  son  had 
shot  away  all  his  arrows,  and  besides  it  was  evening; 
lie  had  to  leave  the  amusement  and  turn  his  wagon- 
tongue  homeward. 

At  home  he  had  told  how  beautiful  a  wife  he  was 
bringing;  all  the  greater  was  the  surprise  when  he 
led  in  the  bride  with  raised  veil.  The  king's  son  had 
praised  the  world-beautiful  Reed  Maiden,  and  now 
before  the  wedding  assembly  stands  a  leather-cheeked 
gypsy  girl.  The  guests  know  not  whether  to  laugh 
or  to  be  angry. 

Now,  the  queen  —  the  former  gypsy  —  thought  that 
it  could  not  remain  thus,  without  the  world-beautiful 
"Reed  Maiden  visiting  her  husband  in  the  night; 
therefore  she  put  a  sleeping-powder  into  his  drink 
every  God-given  evening,  from  which  the  king's  son 
slept  like  a  shepherd's  coat. 


The  Reed  Maiden.  473 

The  world-beautiful  Reed  Maiden  shook  herself, 
turned  into  a  little  bird,  and  at  midnight  she  came  to 
the  king's  son's  window.  She  knocked  with  her  little 
beak,  the  window  opened  of  itself,  and  she  flew  in ; 
then  the  little  bird  shook  herself,  turned  into  a  prin- 
cess such  as  had  not  been  born  before,  nor  since,  nor 
after  that.  She  went  to  the  king's  son,  spoke  to  him 
fondling  words,  but  he  did  not  hear;  roused  him,  but 
he  did  not  wake;  bent  over  him,  and  at  last  cried 
long,  but  he  did  not  feel  the  hot  tears  which  burned 
his  cheek,  —  he  lay  there  motionless  as  a  block. 

Then  she  said :  "  Oh,  king's  son,  youth  of  my  soul, 
thy  dear  lips  are  dumb;  open  them  for  one,  two 
words,  to  cheer  thy  beautiful  love,  thy  tender  violet. 
I  will  come  yet  twice,  then  never  again." 

But  the  king's  son  did  not  wake.  When  the  clock 
struck  one  after  midnight  the  maiden  shook  herself, 
turned  into  a  bird,  and  flew  out  through  the  window; 
the  window  closed  after  her  of  itself. 

The  servant  of  the  king's  son  heard  all  these  words 
clearly,  for  he  was  awake ;  but  in  the  morning  when 
he  woke  he  thought  it  was  all  a  dream,  therefore  he 
did  not  tell  the  king's  son  what  he  had  seen,  but 
resolved  that  he  would  wait  for  the  coming  night, 
and  if  the  maiden  would  appear  again  in  the  form  of 
a  bird,  then  surely  it  was  not  a  dream,  and  he  would 
tell  the  king's  son. 

The  next  evening  also  his  wife  gave  the  king's 
son  a  sleeping-powder,  and  he  slept  like  a  shepherd's 


474        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

coat.  When  the  clock  struck  twelve  the  little  bird 
rapped  with  her  beak,  the  window  opened  before  her, 
and  closed  behind. 

The  little  bird  shook  herself  and  became  the  beau- 
tiful Reed  Maiden.  She  went  to  the  bed  of  the 
sleeping  king's  son,  spoke  to  him,  strove  to  rouse 
him,  and  cried  as  the  evening  before ;  but  he  was 
motionless  as  a  block.  When  the  clock  struck  one 
the  maiden  shook  herself,  was  a  bird,  and  flew  out 
through  the  window,  which  closed  behind  her.  The 
servant  of  the  king's  son  heard  all  this  clearly,  for  he 
had  not  slept,  and  was  now  sure  that  it  was  no  dream. 
He  said  to  his  master  next  morning :  "  I  would  say 
something  to  thy  Highness  if  I  were  not  afraid." 

"  Oh,  good  Yanchi,  thou  wilt  have  no  trouble,  only 
speak." 

"  Well,  the  night  before  last,  at  midnight,  a  little 
bird  flew  to  the  window,  struck  and  beat  it  with  her 
beak  ;  the  window  opened  before  her.  She  flew  in, 
shook  herself,  and  became  such  a  beautiful  maiden 
that  I  looked  on  her  as  an  altar  image;  and  I  was 
afraid  that  she  would  bewitch  me.  The  beautiful 
maiden  then  bent  over  thy  Highness,  spoke  to  thee, 
but  thou  didst  not  wake ;  she  cried  a  long  time,  but 
thou  didst  not  feel  her  hot  tears.  At  last  she  said, 
with  a  bird's  tongue:  '  Oh,  king's  son,  youth  of  my 
soul,  thy  dear  lips  are  dumb  ;  open  them  for  one,  two 
words,  to  cheer  thy  beautiful  love,  thy  tender  violet 
I  will  come  yet  twice,  then  never  again.'  This  was 


The  Reed  Maiden.  475 

repeated  last  night,  but  thy  Highness  spoke  not  a 
word,  and  lay  there  like  a  block.  And  thy  Highness 
may  believe  that  she  was  so  beautiful  that  if  I  had 
been  lying  dead  on  the  table,  I  should  have  risen." 

"Is  that  true,  Yanchi?" 

"  As  true  as  that  the  bright  sun  is  shining  in  the 
sky." 

"Well,  Yanchi,  couldst  thou  take  a  slap  on  the 
cheek  for  a  hundred  florins?" 

"  Not  for  the  money,  but  gladly  for  thy  Highness, 
—  even  a  hundred  of  them." 

"  If  thou  wilt,  then  take  it  when  my  wife  gives  me 
the  sleeping-powder  again ;  for  her  dog  soul  gives  it 
so  that  I  should  not  wake.  Knock  down  the  light  as 
though  from  awkwardness,  then  I  will  pour  the  sleep- 
ing-draught quietly  into  the  bath;  the  woman  will 
think  that  I  have  drunk  it." 

When  bath-time  came  Yanchi  took  the  candle  as 
if  he  wished  to  snuff  it,  and  put  it  out.  The  king's 
son,  meanwhile,  poured  the  sleeping-powder  and  wine 
into  the  bath  quietly.  The  gypsy  queen  thought  that 
he  had  drunk  it,  but  she  gave  such  a  cuff  to  poor 
Yanchi  that  his  eyes  saw  stars ;  but  Yanchi,  for  the 
sake  of  his  master,  took  the  cuff  as  if  a  pretty  girl 
had  kissed  him. 

As  the  clock  struck  twelve,  the  king's  son  feigned 
sleep;  but  he  was  just  as  much  awake  as  good 
myself.  I  say,  the  clock  struck  twelve.  The  little 
bird  came  to  the  window,  knocked  with  her  beak, 


476        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

the  window  opened  before  and  closed  behind  her; 
she  shook  herself  and  became  such  a  maiden  as 
neither  before  that,  nor  since,  was  born,  so  that  the 
starry  heavens  would  have  looked  at  her  with  smiles. 
She  bent  over  the  king's  son ;  when  at  last  she  cried, 
the  king's  son  put  his  arm  around  her  and  drew  her 
to  him,  that  she  might  not  become  a  little  bird  again ; 
that  she  might  not  fly  away  any  more. 

He  assembled,  next  day,  all  the  dukes  and  counts 
in  the  kingdom,  and  all  the  doers  of  good,  and  taking 
before  them  the  hand  of  the  world-beautiful  Reed 
Maiden,  he  asked,  — 

"  What  does  that  person  deserve  who  tries  to 
separate  from  each  other  a  couple?" 

Because  the  gypsy  thought  that  the  question  was 
in  favor  of  her  own  leathery  face,  she  called  out  in  an 
instant :  "  That  person,  my  royal  husband,  deserves 
to  be  put  in  a  cask,  with  spikes  driven  inward  from 
the  outside  all  through  it,  and  rolled  from  the  highest 
mountain  in  the  kingdom." 

"  Oh,  dog-given  wretch,  thou  hast  pronounced  thy 
own  sentence !  " 

And  they  took  by  the  neck  the  queen,  once  a  gypsy, 
and  put  her  in  a  cask  like  that,  with  spikes  driven  in, 
and  let  the  cask  roll  from  the  highest  mountain  in 
the  kingdom. 


KISS    MIKLOS,    AND    THE    GREEN     DAUGHTER 
OF  THE  GREEN   KING. 

r  I  ^HERE  was  once  a  poor  man,  and  he  had  three 
•*•  sons.  When  the  poor  man  was  on  his  death- 
bed, he  called  his  three  sons,  and  this  was  his  word 
and  speech  to  them :  "  My  dear  sons,  if  I  do  not  tell, 
still  mayhap  ye  know  why  our  kingdom  is  in  mourn- 
ing, in  unbroken  darkness,  such  that  a  spoon  might 
stand  up  in  it;  but  if  ye  know  not,  then  I  will  tell. 
My  sons,  this  unbroken  darkness  is  here  because  they 
have  stolen  the  sun  and  the  moon  from  our  bright 
heavens.  But  I  will  tell  one  thing,  and  two  will  come 
of  it ;  a  wizard  foretold  that  among  my  three  sons 
was  one  (which  one  I  with  firm  trust  cannot  say) 
who  would  bring  back  the  sun  and  the  moon.  There- 
fore, my  sons,  I  leave  you  this :  that  after  my  death  ye 
will  go  out  to  seek  the  sun  and  the  moon,  and  not 
come  home  till  ye  bring  back  the  sources  of  light." 

With  that  the  poor  man  turned  to  the  wall,  wan- 
dered forth  from  this  world  of  shadows,  and  was 
buried  with  honor. 

But  here,  my  lord's  son,  what  comes  of  the  affair 
or  what  does  not,  I  saw  it  as  I  see  now;  I  was  in 
the  place  where  they  were  talking.  The  report  ran 


478        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


through  the  whole  kingdom  of  what  the  poor  man  had 
left  in  his  will  to  his  three  sons,  so  that  even  the  king 
heard  it,  and  he  summoned  straightway  to  his  pres- 
ence the  three  brothers.  And  when  the  three  brothers 
appeared  before  the  king,  he  said :  "  My  dear  young 
men,  I  hear  that  your  father  —  may  God  give  him 
rest  —  on  his  death-bed  left  this  to  you :  that  after  his 
death  ye  would  go  out  into  the  wide,  great  world  to 
look  for  the  sun  and  the  moon.  Therefore,  my  sons, 
this  is  my  word  and  speech  to  you :  that  whoso  brings 
back  the  sun  and  the  moon  will  be  king  after  my 
death,  and  whoso  will  assist  him  in  everything,  this 
one  I  will  make  viceroy.  Now  go  to  my  stable  and 
to  my  armory  and  choose  for  yourselves  horses  and 
swords;  I  will  give  in  a  sealed  letter  to  you  the 
order  that  wherever  ye  go  men  shall  give  you  in  all 
places,  hay,  oats,  food,  and  drink  free  of  cost." 

Here  the  three  young  men  entered  the  king's 
stable,  and  the  two  elder  chose  the  most  beautiful 
golden-haired  steeds ;  but  the  youngest,  somewhere  off 
by  the  wall  in  a  hidden  corner,  among  cobwebs  and 
dirt,  picked  out  for  himself  a  wretched,  shaggy  haired, 
plucked  colt.  The  two  elder  brothers  laughed  at  the 
youngest  because  he  intended  to  go  on  that  ragged, 
nasty  colt  that  was  hardly  able  to  stand  on  its  feet ; 
but  the  youngest  brother  thought  nothing  of  this, 
and  did  not  give  ear  to  the  talk  of  his  brothers. 

Now  they  went  to  the  king's  armory,  where  the 
elder  brothers  chose  for  themselves  two  beautiful 


Kiss  Miklos.  479 


gold-mounted  swords ;  but  the  youngest  brother,  who 
had  more  wit,  picked  out  a  rusty  steel  sword.  This 
rusty  sword  now  jumped  out  of  the  sheath,  now 
sprang  in  again,  —  played  unceasingly.  The  two 
elder  brothers  laughed  at  the  youngest  again,  but 
he  put  this  as  well  as  their  former  ridicule  quietly  in 
his  pocket,  thinking  to  himself  that  he  laughs  truly 
who  laughs  last ;  for  the  nasty  colt,  as  surely  as  I  live 
and  as  ye  live  —  I  was  present  where  they  were  talk- 
ing, I  saw  as  I  do  now,  and  I  was  looking  as  I  am 
now  —  was  a  magic  six-legged  steed,  conceived  of  the 
Wind,  and  eating  live  coals;  and  the  rusty  sword  had 
this  kind  of  virtue  that  a  man  had  only  to  say,  "  Cut, 
my  dear  sword,"  and  it  cut  down  whatever  he  wished. 
But  the  two  elder  brothers  knew  nothing  of  all  this, 
for  they  did  not  understand  wood-work. 

Now  the  three  brothers  moved  on  their  way 
through  the  kingdom,  to  look  for  the  sun  and  the 
moon.  They  travelled  and  journeyed  over  forty- 
nine  kingdoms,  beyond  the  Operentsia  Sea,  beyond 
the  glass  mountains,  and  beyond  that,  to  where  the 
little  short-tailed  pig  roots,  and  farther  than  that,  and 
still  farther,  till  they  came  to  the  silver  bridge.  When 
they  came  to  the  silver  bridge  the  youngest  brother, 
speaking  a  word,  said  to  his  two  brothers :  "  My  dear 
brothers,  let  us  go  under  the  bridge,  for  soon  the 
steed  of  the  moon  will  be  here,  and  the  twelve-headed 
dragon,  from  whose  saddle-bow  the  bright  moon  is 
dangling." 


480        Magyar  My  Iks  and  Folk -Tales. 

Now,  the  two  brothers  had  barely  hidden  when  the 
steed  of  the  moon  was  on  the  bridge,  and  on  the  steed 
the  twelve-headed  dragon,  from  whose  saddle-bow  the 
bright  moon  was  dangling.  The  milk-white  steed  of 
the  moon  stumbled  on  the  bridge.  Then  the  twelve- 
headed  dragon  was  enraged,  and  said  this  to  the  steed 
of  the  moon,  — 

"  Ah,  may  the  crow  eat  thy  eye,  may  the  dog  eat 
thy  flesh,  may  the  earth  drink  thy  blood !  From 
forest  to  forest  I  have  ridden  thee,  from  mountain  to 
mountain  I  have  sprung  with  thee,  and  thou  hast 
never  stumbled,  but  now  on  the  even  road  thou  hast 
stumbled.  Well,  in  my  world-beautiful  life  I  have 
always  heard  the  fame  of  Kiss  Miklos ;  if  he  were 
here  now,  I  would  like  to  have  a  struggle  with  him." 

At  this  word  our  Kiss  Miklos  —  for  let  it  be  said, 
meanwhile,  this  was  the  name  of  the  youngest 
brother  —  sprang  out  from  beneath  to  the  silver  bridge 
on  his  golden-haired  magic  steed,  and  closed  with  the 
twelve-headed  dragon.  Long  did  they  struggle,  the 
one  with  the  other,  but  Kiss  Miklos  said  to  the  rusty 
sword :  "  Cut,  my  dear  sword  !  "  and  with  that  it  cut 
three  heads  off  the  dragon,  and  in  the  same  order  till 
all  the  twelve  heads  were  hewn  off,  so  that  the  twelve- 
headed  dragon  drew  his  shortest  breath.  Then  Kiss 
Miklos  took  by  the  halter  the  milk-white  haired,  black- 
maned  steed  of  the  moon,  on  whose  saddle-bow  was 
dangling  the  bright  moon,  and  gave  him  to  the  care 
of  his  second  brother.  Then  they  passed  over  the 


Kiss  Miklos.  481 


silver  bridge,  which  sounded  like  most  beautiful  music 
from  the  golden  shoes  of  the  magic  steed. 

They  travelled  and  journeyed  then  through  forty- 
nine  kingdoms,  beyond  the  Operentsia  Sea  and  the 
glass  mountains,  beyond  that,  where  the  little  short- 
tailed  pig  roots,  beyond  that,  and  farther,  till  they 
came  to  the  golden  bridge. 

Then  Kiss  Miklos  spoke,  and  said  this  to  his  twq^ 
brothers,  speaking  speech :  "  My  dear  brothers,  let 
us  hide  under  the  bridge,  for  soon  will  the  steed  of 
the  sun  be  here,  and  on  him  the  twenty-four-headed 
dragon,  from  whose  saddle-bow  the  shining  sun  is 
dangling.  He  will  call  me  out  at  once  to  the  keen 
sword,  and  I  will  measure  with  him  strength  with 
strength.  He  will  not  be  able  to  conquer  me,  nor  I 
him ;  then  he  and  I  will  turn  into  flames.  He  will  be  a 
red  and  I  a  blue  flame,  but  even  then  we  shall  not  be 
able  to  conquer  one  the  other,  for  we  shall  be  of  equal 
strength.  But  here  is  a  sulphur  stone ;  when  the  red 
flame  springs  highest  toward  the  sky  to  press  down 
the  blue  flame,  that  is  me,  strike  the  sulphur  stone  on 
the  red  flame." 

Our  Kiss  Miklos  had  barely  finished  his  speech 
when  the  steed  of  the  sun  was  on  the  bridge,  bearing 
the  twenty-four-headed  dragon  and  the  shining  sun. 
The  steed  of  the  sun  stumbled  on  the  golden  bridge. 
The  twenty-four-headed  dragon  was  enraged  at  him, 
and  said,  — 

"  Ah,  may  the  crow  eat  thy  eye,  may  the  dog  eat 


482       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

thy  flesh,  may  the  earth  drink  thy  blood !  I  have 
ridden  from  forest  to  forest  on  thee,  I  have  leaped 
thee  from  mountain  to  mountain,  and  never  hast 
thou  stumbled ;  but  now  on  the  even  road  thou  hast 
stumbled.  In  my  world-beautiful  life  I  have  heard 
always  the  fame  of  Kiss  Miklos  —  may  the  dog 
devour  him !  —  and  if  he  were  here  now  I  would  like 
to  have  a  struggle  with  him." 

At  this  word  our  Kiss  Miklos  sprang  out  on  to 
the  golden  bridge,  and  closed  with  the  twenty-four- 
headed  dragon.  But  Kiss  Miklos  commanded,  say- 
ing: "  Cut,  my  dear  sword  !  "  and  that  instant  it  cut 
the  twenty-four  heads  off  the  dragon;  but,  wonder 
of  the  world  !  when  all  the  twenty-four  heads  were  off, 
in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  new  ones  grew  out  which 
the  leaping  sword  could  not  cut.  In  vain  Kiss 
Miklos  said :  "  Cut,  my  dear  sword !  "  for  it  could 
not  cut  these  heads.  Well,  Kiss  Miklos  took  the 
sword  in  his  hand  and  whirled  it  like  lightning;  but 
he  did  nothing  with  it,  for  the  dragon  had  power  of 
the  same  kind  as  he. 

When  the  dragon  saw  that  he  could  not  succeed 
against  Kiss  Miklos,  he  spoke  in  this  way :  "  Listen 
to  me,  Kiss  Miklos  !  I  wish  thou  hadst  perished  with 
thy  mother,  for  I  see  that  I  can  do  nothing  with  thee, 
nor  thou  with  me.  Let  us  make  one  trial.  Turn 
thou  into  a  blue  flame,  and  I  will  turn  into  a  red  one, 
and  whichever  can  put  the  other  out,  his  will  be  the 
steed  of  the  sun  and  the  shining  sun  upon  him." 


Kiss  Miklos.  483 


That  is  what  was  done.  Kiss  Miklos  turned  to  a 
blue  flame,  and  the  twenty-four-headed  dragon  to  a 
red  one.  The  two  flames  fought  the  one  with  the 
other,  but  neither  was  able  to  put  out  the  other. 
Happily  the  two  brothers  threw  the  sulphur  stone  on 
the  red  flame,  and  then  the  blue  flame  put  out  the 
red  one ;  and  when  it  was  quenched  altogether,  the 
twenty-four-headed  dragon  ceased  to  live. 

Kiss  Miklos  gave  the  steed  of  the  sun  to  his 
elder  brother,  and  told  his  two  brothers  to  go  home 
quietly,  for  he  had  work  of  his  own ;  and  with  that 
he  took  farewell  of  them.  Miklos  then  shook  himself, 
turned  into  a  little  gray  cat>  ran  along  the  highroad, 
and  all  at  once  sprang  into  a  cabin.  In  the  cabin 
was  the  mother  of  the  dragons  and  their  two 
wives. 

The  younger  dragon's  wife  saw  the  little  gray  cat ; 
she  took  it  on  her  lap,  stroked  it,  and  found  this  to 
say  to  the  mother  of  the  dragons :  "  Well,  if  I  knew 
that  that  cursed  Kiss  Miklos  had  killed  my  lord, 
I  would  turn  into  such  a  spring  of  water  that  if 
he  and  his  two  brothers  were  to  drink  not  more  than 
one  drop  of  it,  they  would  die  a  fearful  death  on 
the  spot." 

With  this  the  little  gray  cat  sprang  from  the  lap 
of  the  younger  dragon's  wife,  and  rubbed  up  to  the 
skirt  of  the  wife  of  the  elder  dragon,  who  took  it  on 
to  her  lap,  stroked  it,  and  found  this  to  say:  "  Ah! 
if  I  knew  that  that  cursed  Kiss  Miklos  had  killed  my 


484        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

lord,  I  would  change  into  such  a  pear-tree  that  if 
he  and  his  two  brothers  were  to  eat  no  more  than  one 
morsel  of  a  pear  of  mine,  they  would  die  a  fearful 
death." 

With  this  the  little  gray  cat  sprang  from  the  lap 
of  the  elder  dragon's  wife,  and  rubbed  on  the  skirt  of 
the  old  woman,  who  took  it  on  her  lap,  fondled  it, 
and  found  this  to  say  to  her  two  daughters-in-law: 
"  My  dear  girls,  just  prop  up  my  two  eyes  with  that 
iron  bar,  which  weighs  twelve  hundred  pounds,  so 
that  I  may  look  around." 

Her  two  daughters-in-law  then  took  the  twelve- 
hundred-pound  iron  bar  and  opened  the  old  woman's 
eyes ;  then  she  spoke  thuswise :  "  If  that  cursed 
Kiss  Miklos  has  killed  my  two  sons,  I  will  turn  into 
a  mouth,  one  jaw  of  which  will  be  on  the  earth  and 
the  other  I  will  throw  to  the  sky,  so  as  to  catch  that 
cursed  villain  and  his  two  brothers,  and  grind  them 
as  mill-stones  grind  wheat." 

When  the  little  gray  cat  had  heard  all  this  exactly, 
it  shot  away  in  a  flash  out  of  the  cabin,  sprang  along, 
and  never  stopped  till  it  came  to  the  good  magic 
steed.  The  old  woman  threw  the  twelve-hundred- 
pound  bar  after  the  cat,  but  she  failed  in  her  cast,  for 
that  moment  her  eyelids  fell ;  she  was  not  able  to 
keep  them  open  unless  they  were  propped,  for  she 
was  old.  So  Kiss  Miklos  escaped  the  twelve-hundred- 
pound  bar,  —  certain  death.  I  say  that  he  escaped, 
for  he  came  to  his  good  magic  steed,  shook  himself, 


Kiss  Miklos.  485 


and  from  a  little  gray  cat  became  a  young  man  as 
before.  Then  he  sat  on  the  good  steed,  which 
sprang  once,  jumped  twice,  and  straightway  Miklos 
was  with  his  two  brothers;  then  they  fared  home- 
ward in  quiet  comfort. 

The  second  brother  grew  thirsty,  and  found  this  to 
say :  "  Oh,  but  I  am  dry !  My  throat  is  burning !  " 

"  If  that  is  thy  only  trouble,"  said  Miklos,  "  I 
will  soon  bring  thee  water.  Out  there  a  spring  is 
bubbling  up." 

With  that  Kiss  Miklos  put  spurs  to  his  good  magic 
steed,  which  sprang  once,  jumped  twice,  and  was  at 
the  spring ;  but  here,  instead  of  filling  the  gourd  that 
hung  at  his  side,  he  drew  his  sharp  sword,  and  thrust 
it  three  times  into  the  bubbling  water.  In  a  moment 
from  the  spring  blood  gushed  forth,  and  a  word  of 
bitter  pain  was  heard.  That  was  the  blood  of  the 
younger  dragon's  wife,  and  the  word  of  pain  was 
her  death-groan.  The  blood  made  all  the  water 
red,  and  when  the  two  brothers  came  up  they  had 
no  wish  to  drink  a  drop  from  the  spring. 

Well,  they  travelled  and  journeyed  till  the  elder 
brother  said :  "  Oh,  but  I  am  hungry !  " 

"  If  that  is  thy  trouble,"  said  Kiss  Miklos,  "  we  can 
easily  cure  it,  for  there  near  the  dam  is  a  pear-tree, 
and  on  it  so  much  ripe  fruit  that  the  limbs  are  break- 
ing. Wait,  I  will  bring  thee  a  pear  directly;  but 
lead  thou  the  steed  of  the  sun  there." 

Here  Kiss  Miklos  put  spurs  to  his  steed,  which 


486        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

sprang  once,  jumped  twice,  and  stood  before  the 
pear-tree.  Miklos  drew  his  sharp  sword  and  stabbed 
the  pear-tree  in  the  trunk  three  times;  from  the 
trunk  blood  gushed  forth,  and  a  bitter  word  of  pain 
was  heard.  The  red  blood  was  the  blood  of  the  elder 
dragon's  wife,  and  the  bitter  word  of  pain  was  her 
death-groan.  With  that  the  pears  fell,  so  that  when 
the  two  elder  brothers  reached  the  tree,  not  only 
would  they  not  eat  the  pears,  but  the  desire  of  eating 
had  gone  from  them. 

Now  they  journeyed  and  travelled  through  forty- 
nine  kingdoms,  till  at  last  Miklos  saw  from  a  dis- 
tance that  an  unmercifully  great  mouth,  one  jaw  of 
which  was  on  earth  and  the  other  thrown  up  to  the 
heavens,  was  nearing  them  like  the  swiftest  storm,  so 
that  they  had  barely  time  left  to  run  into  the  door  of 
the  Lead  Friend's  house.  And  a  thousand-fold  was 
their  luck  that  they  got  in ;  for  the  unmercifully  great 
mouth  stood  before  the  threshold  of  the  Lead  Friend, 
so  that  whoever  should  go  out  would  fall  into  it,  and 
be  swallowed  that  minute. 

"  Hei !  good  Lead-Melting  Friend,"  said  Miklos, 
"hast  thou  much  molten  lead?  I  will  pay  thee  for 
it  in  honest  coin." 

"  Haho !  my  friend  Kiss  Miklos,  I  know  thee;  in 
my  world-beautiful  life  I  have  ever  heard  thy  fame. 
Long  have  I  been  waiting  for  thee.  It  is  well  that 
thou  art  here,  —  that  thou  hast  entered  my  door,  — 
for  thou  wilt  never  go  a  step  farther  from  me." 


Kiss  Miklos.  487 


"  Oh !  for  God's  sake,"  said  Kiss  Miklos,  "  do  not 
pass  thy  own  threshold,  for  straightway  the  mother 
of  the  dragons  will  swallow  thee  with  her  great 
mouth." 

The  Lead-Melting  Friend  went  out  of  his  chamber, 
saw  the  great  mouth  of  the  mother  of  the  dragons, 
and  went  back  in  terror  to  his  chamber,  where  he 
said  this  to  Kiss  Miklos :  "  Oh,  my  good  friend  Kiss 
Miklos,  give  counsel.  What  are  we  to  do?  " 

"  Hast  thou  much  molten  lead?  " 

"  Not  much,  only  eighteen  tons ;  it  is  out  there  in 
the  caldron  boiling. 

Knowest  thou  what?  I  will  say  one  thing  and  two 
will  come  of  it.  Let  us  take  the  handles  of  that  great 
caldron  and  pour  its  contents  into  the  great  mouth  of 
the  mother  of  the  dragons." 

Here,  'pon  my  soul !  the  Lead-Melting  Friend  put 
one  handle  on  his  shoulder,  Kiss  Miklos  the  other  on 
his,  brought  the  unmercifully  great  caldron  to  the 
threshold,  and  poured  the  eighteen  tons  of  boiling 
lead  into  the  old  witch's  mouth.  The  boiling  lead 
burned  up  the  stomach  of  the  mother  of  the  dragons, 
and  straightway  she  breathed  out  her  cursed  soul. 

So  Kiss  Miklos  was  freed  from  the  mother  of  the 
dragons  ;  but,  poor  fellow,  he  was  like  one  that  goes 
from  the  pail  into  the  barrel,  for  the  Lead-Melting 
Friend  caught  his  Grace  by  the  neck  and  took  him, 
as  he  would  a  straw,  to  the  chamber,  where  he  found 
this  to  say,  — 


488      Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Look  here,  my  good  friend  Kiss  Miklos,  in  my 
world-beautiful  life  I  have  ever  heard  thy  fame ;  there- 
fore let  us  struggle  now  and  see  who  is  stronger,  thou 
or  I."  With  that  the  Lead  Friend  put  only  his  little 
finger  on  Kiss  Miklos ;  from  that  he  began  to  sink, 
and  went  down  through  the  lead  floor  of  the  chamber 
the  distance  of  an  ell. 

"  Kiss  Miklos,  my  friend,  dost  thou  wish  to  fight 
with  me?"  asked  the  Lead  Friend.  "Thou  sayest 
nothing,  so  I  see  that  thou  dost  not;  therefore  this 
is  my  word  and  speech :  I  will  keep  thee  in  endless 
slavery  unless  thou  bring  me  the  Green  Daughter 
of  the  Green  King.  But  ye,"  and  he  turned  to  the 
two  brothers,  "  ye  may  go  home  in  gentle  quietness, 
and  take  with  you  the  steeds  of  the  moon  and  the 
sun,  on  which  are  the  bright  moon  and  the  shining 
sun,  for  of  them  I  have  no  need." 

Here  our  Miklos,  in  the  midst  of  bitter  tear-shed- 
ding, took  farewell  of  his  dear  brothers.  They  held 
on  their  way  homeward,  and  arrived  there  in  health. 
Great  was  the  rejoicing  in  the  kingdom  that  the  poor 
man's  sons,  as  their  father  had  bequeathed  them  on 
his  death-bed,  brought  home  the  bright  moon  and  the 
shining  sun.  Therefore  the  king  assembled  all  that 
were  in  his  dominions  of  dukes,  counts,  barons,  lords, 
lord's  sons,  chosen  gypsies,  and  broad-brimmed, 
country-dressed  Slovaks ;  of  these  he  sought  council 
and  asked,  "  What  do  brothers  deserve  who  have 
brought  home  the  bright  moon  and  the  shining  sun?  " 


Kiss  Miklos.  489 


To  this  question  then  they  answered,  "  Our  high 
lord,  the  one  who  has  brought  back  the  steed  of  the 
sun,  and  on  it  the  bright  shining  sun,  deserves  to  be 
king  of  the  country,  and  he  who  has  brought  home 
the  steed  of  the  bright  moon,  and  on  it  the  fair  moon, 
to  be  viceroy;  and  each  one  of  them  should  receive 
as  wife  a  daughter  of  thy  Highness." 

So  it  was  done.  The  poor  man's  eldest  son  be- 
came king,  and  the  second  son  viceroy;  and  each  one 
of  them  got  a  maiden  princess  as  wife.  Then  they 
let  out  the  steed  of  the  bright  moon  and  the  steed  of 
the  shining  sun  on  the  highway  of  the  heavens,  but 
both  the  moon  and  the  sun  shone  sadly.  For  this 
reason  they  shone  sadly :  that  he  was  without  merited 
reward  who  had  really  freed  them  from  the  dragons, 
for  Kiss  Miklos  was  now  in  never-ending  slavery  to 
the  Lead  Friend. 

Once  the  Lead  Friend  called  Miklos  and  found  this 
to  tell  him :  "  Well,  Miklos,  if  thou  wilt  bring  me  the 
Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King,  I  will  let  thee  go 
free,  and  I  will  strike  from  thee  the  three-hundred- 
pound  ring  and  the  twelve-hundred-pound  chain. 
Therefore,  good  friend  Miklos,  I  advise  thee  to  start 
in  the  morning  with  the  bright  shining  sun,  and  bring 
to  me  my  heart's  desire." 

Now  our  Miklos  moved  on  the  road  again,  and  a 
long  one  too ;  whether  there  will  be  an  end  to  it,  only 
the  good  God  knows.  And  as  he  travelled  and  jour- 
neyed across  forty-nine  kingdoms,  and  beyond  that, 


49°      Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

and  still  farther,  at  the  foot  of  a  great  mountain 
was  a  little  hill,  and  as  a  shot  arrow,  as  the  swiftest 
whirlwind,  ran  towards  him  a  man  who  was  always 
crying,  "  Out  of  my  way !  out  of  my  way !  "  This 
was  Swift  Runner,  who  stood  still  in  a  moment, 
like  a  pillar,  before  Miklos,  and  asked,  "  Whither, 
whither,  Kiss  Miklos?  for  in  my  world-beautiful  life  I 
K  have  ever  heard  thy  fame." 

"  Haho  !  Swift  Runner,  better  thou  hadst  not  asked. 
I  am  going  for  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green 
King.  Hast  thou  ever  heard  of  her?  " 

"  I  have  not  heard.  I  speak  not  of  that,  but  of 
this :  take  me  with  thee,  for  thou  wilt  get  good  of  me 
somewhere." 

"  Well,  come  on  thy  own  legs,  if  it  please  thee." 

They  travelled  and  journeyed  after  that,  two  of 
them,  till  they  came  to  the  sea-shore,  and  saw  a  man 
who  was  drinking  the  sea  to  the  last  drop,  just  as  I 
would  drink  a  cup  of  water ;  and  then  he  cried  out 
unceasingly :  "  Oh,  I  'm  thirsty !  Oh,  I  'm  thirsty !  " 
This  was  Great  Drinker  who,  when  he  saw  Miklos, 
went  to  him  and  said :  "  God's  good-day,  famous 
Kiss  Miklos;  for  in  my  world-beautiful  life  I  have 
ever  heard  thy  fame." 

"  God  keep  thee,  Great  Drinker  !  " 

"  On  what  journey  art  thou,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos  ? " 

"On  what  journey?  Haho  !  better  thou  hadst  not 
asked.  I  am  going  for  the  Green  Daughter  of  the 
Green  King.  Hast  thou  heard  of  her?  " 


Kiss  Miklos.  491 


"I  have  not,  in  truth,"  answered  Great  Drinker; 
"  I  speak  not  of  that,  but  of  this :  take  me  with  thee, 
for  mayhap  thou  'It  get  good  of  me." 

"  Well,  come  on  thy  own  legs,  if  it  please  thee." 

So  there  were  three  of  them,  and  they  travelled 
and  journeyed  after  that  till  they  saw  a  man  running 
on  the  plain  towards  cattle,  and  he  thrust  the  beauti- 
ful bullocks  one  by  one  into  his  mouth  as  I  would  a 
piece  of  bread,  and  swallowed  them,  hide  and  horns, 
one  after  the  other ;  and  even  when  he  had  swallowed 
all  the  standing  herd  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-six 
bullocks,  he  called  out  unceasingly :  "  Oh,  I  am  hun- 
gry !  Oh,  I  am  hungry !  "  This  was  Great  Eater 
who,  when  he  saw  Miklos,  went  to  him  and  said : 
"  God  give  thee  a  good-day,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos ; 
for  in  my  world-beautiful  life  I  have  ever  heard  thy 
fame." 

"  God  keep  thee,  Great  Eater !  " 

"  What  journey  art  thou  on,  renowned  Kiss 
Miklos?" 

"  Better  thou  hadst  not  asked.  I  am  going  for  the 
Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King.  Hast  thou  heard 
of  her?" 

"  I  have  not  heard,  in  truth,"  answered  Great  Eater ; 
"  but  take  me  with  thee,  mayhap  thou  'It  get  good  of 
me." 

"  Well,  come  on  thy  own  legs,  if  it  please  thee." 

Now  there  were  four  of  them,  and  they  travelled 
and  journeyed  till  one  day  they  struck  upon  a  man 


492      Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

whose  bolster  was  the  glowing  coals,  whose  pillow 
was  the  burning  fire,  and  whose  blanket  was  the  flam- 
ing blaze ;  he  had  nine  pairs  of  boots  on  his  feet,  nine 
pairs  of  drawers  and  nine  shirts  on  his  body,  nine 
neckcloths  on  his  neck,  nine  sheep-skin  caps  on  his 
head,  nine  pairs  of  trousers,  nine  vests  on  his  body, 
and  nine  sheepskin  overcoats  hung  from  his  shoul- 
ders, but  even  then  he  did  nothing  but  cry  out  un- 
ceasingly :  "  Oh,  I  'm  freezing !  Oh,  I  'm  freezing  !  " 
When  he  saw  Kiss  Miklos,  he  stood  before  him  and 
said :  "  God  give  thee  a  good-day,  renowned  Kiss 
Miklos ;  for  in  my  world-beautiful  life  I  have  ever 
heard  thy  fame." 

"  God  guard  thee,  Great  Freezer !  " 

"What  journey  art  thou  on,  renowned  Kiss 
Miklos?" 

"  Ah,  comrade,  thou  shouldst  not  have  asked. 
Hast  thou  heard  of  the  fame  of  the  Green  Daughter 
of  the  Green  King?" 

"  I  have  not  heard  of  it." 

"  Well,  if  thou  hast  not,  hear  now;  for  I  am  going 
to  her  as  a  wooer." 

"  Take  me  with  thee,  mayhap  thou  wilt  get  good 
of  me." 

"  Well,  come  on  thy  own  legs,  if  it  please  thee." 

There  were  five  of  them  now.  They  journeyed  and 
travelled  after  that  till  they  came  upon  a  man  who 
was  looking  around  unceasingly.  In  one  twinkle,  in 
the  turn  of  an  eye,  he  saw  the  round  earth,  and  in  an- 


Kiss  Miklos.  493 


other  turn  of  the  eye  he  looked  through  the  deep  sea ; 
and  he  saw  Miklos  and  his  comrades  thirty-five  miles 
off. 

This  was  Far  Seer,  who  stood  before  Miklos  and 
said :  "  God  give  thee  a  good-day,  renowned  Kiss 
Miklos." 

"  God  keep  thee,  Far  Seer !  " 

"On  what  journey  art  thou,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos?" 

"  Haho !  good  friend  Far  Seer,  perhaps  thou  hast 
heard  of  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King." 

"  I  have  not." 

"  Well  then,  hear  now,  for  I  am  going  to  woo 
her." 

"  Take  me  with  thee,  mayhap  thou  'It  get  good  of 
me." 

Now  there  were  six  of  them,  and  they  journeyed 
and  travelled  after  that,  across  forty-nine  kingdoms  and 
farther,  till  they  came  upon  a  man  who  threw  a  seven- 
hundred-pound  iron  club  thirty-five  miles  as  easily  as 
I  could  throw  a  small  stone  a  few  yards  This  was 
Far  Caster,  who,  when  he  saw  Kiss  Miklos  and  his 
comrades,  came  and  said :  "  God  give  thee  a  good- 
day,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos ;  for  in  my  world-beautiful 
life  I  have  ever  heard  thy  fame." 

"  God  guard  thee,  Far  Caster !  " 

"  What  journey  art  thou  on?  " 

"  Better  thou  hadst  not  asked.  Hast  thou  heard 
of  the  Green  King?" 

"  I  have  not." 


494        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Well,  I  am  going  to  woo  his  daughter." 

"  Take  me  with  thee,  mayhap  thou  'It  get  good  of 
me." 

"  Come  on  thy  own  legs,  if  it  please  thee." 

Like  the  seven  deadly  sins,  they  were  seven  now. 
They  journeyed  and  travelled  till  they  came  to  the 
castle  of  the  Green  King.  Kiss  Miklos  stood  before 
the  king  and  said :  "  God  give  a  good-day  to  thy 
Highness." 

"  God  keep  thee,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos ;  for  in 
my  world-beautiful  life  I  have  ever  heard  thy  fame. 
What  journey  art  thou  on?" 

"  In  my  journeys  and  travels  I  have  heard  that  thy 
Highness  has  a  charming,  love-pervaded,  beautiful 
flower-stalk.  What  is  the  use  in  delay  and  denial?  I 
have  come  for  her." 

"  Haho !  my  good  friend,  the  Green  Daughter  of 
the  Green  King  is  not  so  easily  taken,  for  there  are 
three  tests  before  thee ;  if  thou  stand  these  tests,  I 
will  give  thee  my  most  beloved,  my  truly  one  and 
only  daughter.  The  first  test  will  be  this:  Thou 
hast  a  swift  runner  and  so  have  I.  They  are  making 
for  my  daughter  at  present  a  wedding  dress  at  Pluto's, 
or  perhaps  it 's  ready  this  moment.  If  thy  swift  run- 
ner will  bring  that  dress  here,  all  right,  —  I  care  not : 
let  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King  be  thine. 
My  swift  runner  and  thine  will  start  to-morrow  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  But  if  I  have  not  told 
thee,  know  now  the  thick  end  of  the  business,  I  will 


Kiss  Miklos.  495 


bring  you  all  to  the  stake,  if  thy  swift  runner  comes 
second." 

But  the  Green  King  deceived ;  for  that  evening  after 
sunset  he  sent  off  his  swift  runner,  who  was  no  other 
than  his  own  old  mother,  who,  let  it  be  said  mean- 
while, was  a  witch,  and  a  big  one  at  that.  Next 
morning  at  four  o'clock,  as  had  been  agreed,  Miklos 
started  his  own  swift  runner  on  the  road  so  as  to  bring 
the  wedding  dress. 

Swift  Runner  moved  on,  and  he  saw  that  the  old 
mother  of  the  Green  King  was  a  good  way  ahead, 
for  she  was  just  on  the  point  of  going  in  at  Pluto's 
gate.  Nothing  more  was  needed.  He  rushed  at  her 
and  she  saw  trouble  soon,  for  he  came  up  just  as 
she  had  taken  hold  of  the  key;  Swift  Runner  was 
not  slow.  He  caught  her  by  the  jacket,  hurled  her 
back,  ran  in  at  the  gate  himself,  and  did  not  stop  till 
he  stood  before  his  Highness,  Pluto,  told  why  he  had 
come,  and  asked  for  the  wedding  dress.  The  dainty 
dress  was  nicely  packed  already  in  a  box,  and  they 
gave  it  to  him.  Swift  Runner  hurried  homeward,  but 
the  old  mother  of  the  Green  King  waited  for  him, 
and  said :  "  Hear  me,  Swift  Runner !  Now  thou  art 
the  victor,  run  not  so  fast ;  let  us  go  home  in  pleasant 
quiet  together." 

Swift  Runner  stopped  at  the  old  woman's  words, 
and  they  went  on  together,  —  went  on  till  they  came  to 
a  nice  shady  place,  where  the  old  woman  found  this 
to  say :  "  Let  us  sit  down  in  this  shady  place ;  let  us 


496      Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

rest.  It  is  all  the  same.  Thou  art  the  winner.  I  will 
look  in  thy  head." 

Here  Swift  Runner  sat  down  in  the  shady  place ; 
the  old  woman  bent  his  head  to  her  lap  and  began 
to  search  in  it,  and  she  searched  and  searched  till 
Swift  Runner  fell  asleep  and  was  sunk  in  slumber. 
When  Swift  Runner  was  snoring  away  at  his  best,  the 
old  woman  put  a  horse-skull  under  his  head,  —  from 
that  he  would  not  have  waked  till  the  day  of  judg- 
ment ;  then  she  took  the  box  from  him  and  raced  off 
as  if  she  had  been  shot  from  a  gun. 

It  was  near  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  Swift 
Runner  had  not  come  yet,  though  he  said  he  ought 
to  be  there  at  three  o'clock.  Miklos  therefore  began 
to  be  uneasy,  —  his  nose  was  itching,  it  was  ringing 
in  his  right  ear  and  jumping  in  his  right  eye,  there- 
fore he  found  this  to  say  to  his  Far  Seer:  "Just 
look,  canst  thou  see  Swift  Runner  coming?" 

Far  Seer  did  not  let  this  be  repeated ;  in  an  instant 
he  ran  up  on  a  hill,  looked  around,  saw  that  Swift 
Runner  was  in  a  shady  place,  sleeping  like  a  pumpkin, 
under  a  tree,  with  a  horse-skull  under  his  head. 

"  Oh,  my  good  friend  Kiss  Miklos,  the  dog  is  in 
the  garden  !  Swift  Runner  is  sleeping  in  a  nice  shady 
place  with  a  horse-skull  under  his  head;  the  old 
woman  is  right  here  near  the  garden,  and  she  has  the 
wedding  dress  in  a  box." 

"  Here,  good  friend  Far  Caster,"  said  Kiss  Miklos, 
"  stand  forth  and  throw  thy  twelve-hundred-pound 


Kiss  Miklos.  497 


club  at  that  cursed  horse-skull  under  the  head  of 
Swift  Runner  ;  for  as  God  is  true,  all  seven  of  us  will 
see  shame,  and  die  a  fearful  death." 

Far  Caster  was  not  slow ;  in  an  instant  he  hurled  the 
twelve-hundred-pound  club  and  struck  out  luckily  the 
horse-Skull  from  under  Swift  Runner's  head. 

Then,  'pon  my  soul !  Swift  Runner  sprang  up,  rubbed 
his  eyes,  looked  around,  saw  that  the  old  woman  was 
running  near  the  garden,  and  bearing  the  wedding 
robe.  He  was  not  slow.  He  rushed  at  her,  but  in  truth 
it  hung  from  a  hair  that  he  did  not  see  disgrace,  for 
the  old  woman  had  just  taken  the  key  of  the  Green 
King's  door  when  Swift  Runner  reached  her.  He 
caught  her  by  the  jacket,  took  the  box,  and  hurled 
the  old  woman  back  to  Pluto's  in  such  fashion  that 
not  her  foot,  nor  even  her  little  toe,  touched  ground 
on  the  way.  Then  he  gave  the  wedding  dress  to 
Miklos,  who  took  it  that  moment  to  the  Green  King, 
and  putting  it  on  the  boxwood  table  said :  "  High 
lord,  thy  desire  is  accomplished ;  here  is  the  dainty 
wedding  dress." 

"  Haho !  renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  this  is  but  one 
trial  in  which  thou  art  the  winner,  there  are  two  be- 
hind. The  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King  will 
not  be  thine  till  all  of  you,  as  many  as  there  are, 
spend  one  night  in  my  iron  furnace,  which  I  have 
heated  with  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  cords  of 
wood;  if  ye  can  endure  that  terrible  heat,  all  right;  if 
not,  ye  will  be  roasted  alive." 

32 


498        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

Here,  'pon  my  soul !  what  came  of  the  affair  or  what 
did  not,  the  Green  King,  as  he  had  said,  heated  the 
iron  furnace  with  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  cords 
of  wood.  The  whole  furnace  was  nothing  but  glow- 
ing fire,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  go  near  it.  Now 
the  question  was,  who  should  enter  first,  —  who  but 
Great  Freezer?  He  was  delighted  with  the  pleasant 
amusement ;  he  was  shivering  terribly  because  God's 
cold  had  then  caught  him,  though  he  had  nine  pairs 
of  boots  on  his  feet,  nine  shirts  and  drawers  on  his 
body,  nine  neckcloths  on  his  neck,  nine  sheep-skin 
caps  on  his  head,  nine  sheep-skin  overcoats  on  his 
back.  I  say,  Great  Freezer  went  first  into  the  fiery 
furnace.  He  walked  around  in  it,  and  straightway 
it  became  as  cold  as  an  ice-house ;  therefore  he 
called  out  at  the  entrance :  "  Oh,  I  'm  freezing !  Oh, 
I  'm  freezing !  "  Then  the  others  and  Kiss  Miklos 
went  in,  and  they  felt  that  the  'furnace  was  as  cold 
as  an  ice-house,  so  that  their  teeth  chattered.  Kiss 
Miklos  cried  out  at  the  entrance,  saying,  "  Wood 
this  way,  or  we  shall  freeze  !  " 

The  servants  of  the  Green  King  threw  an  extra 
cord  of  wood  into  the  furnace.  With  this  Miklos  and 
his  companions  made  a  fire,  and  gave  earth  no 
trouble.  Next  morning  the  Green  King  himself 
went  to  see  the  seven  roasts,  thinking  they  were 
burnt  into  dust.  He  opened  the  mouth  of  the  fur- 
nace. He  will  fall  on  his  back  with  horror,  perhaps. 
Nothing  of  the  sort ;  the  seven  good  birds  were  sit- 


Kiss  Miklos.  499 


ting  there  alive  in  the  furnace  at  the  side  of  a  fire,  and 
not  a  dog's  trouble  had  happened  to  a  man  of  them. 

Straightway  the  Green  King  called  up  Kiss  Miklos 
and  said  to  him :  "  Well,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  thou 
hast  stood  two  trials,  but  the  third  still  remains.  If 
ye  pass  that  unharmed,  then  I  don't  care  ;  my  daughter 
will  be  thine,  for  I  shall  see  that  thou  art  not  inferior 
to  thy  fame.  The  third  trial  is  not  other  than  this : 
In  the  yard  is  a  herd  of  cattle  not  less  than  three 
hundred  and  sixty-six  in  number,  and  also  there  are 
three  hundred  and  sixty-six  kegs  of  wine,  and  if  ye 
do  not  eat  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  head  of 
cattle  and  drink  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  kegs 
of  wine  by  to-morrow,  then  I  will  have  you  all  at  the 
stake ;  but  if  ye  eat  and  drink  all,  then  as  I  say,  I  care 
not.  Let  my  one  and  only  most  beloved  daughter  be 
thine." 

In  the  evening  after  bedtime  Miklos  went  with  his 
comrades  to  the  other  yard  where  were  the  three 
hundred  and  sixty-six  head  of  cattle  and  the  three 
hundred  and  sixty-six  kegs  of  wine ;  but  now  the 
question  was  who  should  eat  that  ocean-great  lot  of 
cattle  and  drink  that  thundering  lot  of  wine.  No 
one  would  take  more  delight  in  the  cattle  than  Great 
Eater,  and  with  the  thundering  lot  of  wine  no  one 
felt  better  than  Great  Drinker ;  they  would  take  care 
of  them  if  they  were  twice  as  great.  Miklos  and  his 
comrades,  except  Great  Eater,  knocked  one  of  the 
bullocks  on  the  head,  pulled  off  his  jacket,  cut  up  his 


5OO        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

flesh  and  roasted  it.  That  was  enough  for  them,  but 
it  was  not  enough  for  Great  Eater ;  for  he  would  not 
spoil  the  taste  of  his  mouth  with  it.  He  ate  that 
herd  of  beasts,  one  after  another,  as  if  the  earth  had 
swallowed  them,  —  ate  hair,  hide,  bones,  and  horns, 
so  that  he  did  n't  leave  a  single  thing  as  a  novelty ; 
and  even  then  he  cried  out  nothing  but,  "  Oh,  I  'm 
hungry !  Oh,  I  'm  hungry !  "  Then  he  went  to  his 
comrades,  ate  what  they  had  left  of  the  roast,  and 
pressed  it  down  with  the  ox-hide  for  a  dessert.  Even 
then  he  cried  without  ceasing,  "  Oh,  I  'm  hungry ! 
Oh,  I  'm  hungry  !  " 

Then  they  began  at  the  wine.  Miklos  and  his 
comrades,  except  Great  Drinker,  rolled  forth  one 
keg  of  wine,  knocked  the  bottom  out,  and  went  to 
drinking.  That  keg  was  enough  for  them,  but  not 
enough  for  Great  Drinker ;  for  him  it  was  as  much 
as  one  drop  would  be  for  me.  He  would  not  spoil 
the  taste  of  his  mouth  with  it,  but  fell  to  drinking 
from  the  rest  in  such  Magyar-Mishka  style  that 
when  he  looked  around  he  saw  that  the  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  kegs  were  empty.  Then  he  cried 
unceasingly,  "  Oh,  I  'm  thirsty  !  Oh,  I  'm  thirsty  !  " 
After  that  he  came  to  his  comrades,  and  what  they 
had  left  he  drank  to  the  last  drop ;  and  cried  :  "  Oh, 
I  'm  thirsty !  Oh,  I  'm  thirsty !  " 

Next  morning  the  Green  King  went  himself  to  the 
yard  to  see  if  Kiss  Miklos  and  his  comrades  had  en- 
dured the  third  trial,  —  had  they  eaten  the  cattle  and 


Kiss  Miklos.  501 


drunk  the  wine.  It  is  a  wonder  that  he  did  n't  turn 
into  a  pillar  of  salt  he  was  so  frightened  when  he  saw 
that  there  was  not  a  horned  beast  left,  nor  a  drop  of 
wine.  Then  he  complained:  "They  have  eaten 
three  hundred  and  sixty-six  bullocks.  Plague  take  it ! 
let  them  eat  the  cattle,  but  they  might  have  left  the 
hides ;  those  could  at  least  have  been  sold  to  a  Jew 
for  good  money.  —  Well,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  thou 
hast  stood  the  three  tests,  now  my  only  and  most 
dearly  beloved  daughter  is  thine ;  take  her."  With 
that  the  Green  King  seated  his  Green  Daughter  in 
a  coach  drawn  by  six  black  horses,  and  they  drove 
towards  the  dominions  of  the  Lead  Friend. 

On  the  road  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King 
beckoned  Miklos  to  her  and  asked  him  :  "  Hei !  my 
heart's  beautiful  love,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  tell  me, 
on  thy  true  soul,  art  thou  taking  me  for  thyself  or  for 
another?  If  thou  art  not  taking  me  for  thyself,  I  will 
play  tricks  with  thee." 

"  I  am  taking  thee  for  myself;  I  am  taking  thee  for 
another,"  answered  Kiss  Miklos. 

Well,  no  more  was  said.  Once,  when  turning  and 
winding,  they  look  in  the  coach ;  it  is  empty.  The 
beautiful  girl  is  gone.  In  a  moment  they  stop,  search 
the  coach,  but  find  her  nowhere. 

"  Here,  good  friend  Far  Seer,"  said  Kiss  Miklos, 
"  look  around  !  Whither  has  our  beautiful  bird 
flown?" 

Far   Seer   did  n't  let  that  be  said  twice.     In  the 


502        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

turn  of  an  eye  he  surveyed  the  round  earth,  but  he 
saw  not  the  beautiful  maiden. 

"  She  is  not  on  the  dry  earth,"  said  Far  Seer. 

"  Look  into  the  sea,"  said  Kiss  Miklos. 

Far  Seer  surveyed  the  deep  sea,  and  saw  her  hid- 
den in  the  belly  of  a  three-pound  whale,  near  the 
opposite  shore  of  the  sea. 

"  Ah,  I  see  where  she  is !  " 

"Where?"  asked  Miklos. 

"  Hidden  in  the  belly  of  a  three-pound  whale." 

"  Here,  good  friend  Great  Drinker,"  said  Miklos, 
"  come  hither,  and  drink  up  the  water  of  this  deep 
sea !  " 

Great  Drinker  was  not  slow.  He  lay  face  under 
by  the  sea,  and  with  three  draughts  drank  up  all  the 
water.  The  three-pound  whale  was  lying  then  in  a 
bay  near  the  opposite  shore. 

"  Now,  good  brother  Swift  Runner,"  said  Kiss 
Miklos,  "  step  out  and  bring  me  that  three-pound 
whale  which  is  lying  near  the  opposite  shore." 

Swift  Runner  rushed  in  a  moment  across  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea,  and  brought  back  the  three-pound 
whale.  Miklos  opened  the  whale,  took  out  its 
stomach,  cut  it  carefully,  and  out  fell  the  Green 
Daughter  of  the  Green  King.  Then  he  seated  her 
in  the  coach,  and  they  drove  on. 

They  travelled  and  journeyed,  and  once  the  prin- 
cess beckoned  to  Miklos,  and  asked :  "  My  heart's 
beautiful  love,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  tell  me,  on  thy 


Kiss  Miklos.  503 


true  soul,  art  thou  taking  me  for  thyself,  or  for 
another?  If  for  thyself,  very  well;  if  not,  I'll  play 
tricks  with  thee." 

"  I  am  taking  thee  for  myself;  I  am  taking  thee  for 
another,"  answered  Miklos. 

No  more  was  said.  Once  while  turning  and 
winding,  the  beautiful  maiden  is  gone,  the  coach  is 
empty.  *'  Oh,  the  dog  is  in  the  garden !  "  They 
stop,  search  the  six-horse  coach,  but  find  no  beau- 
tiful princess. 

"  Here,  good  friend  Far  Seer,"  said  Miklos,  "  stand 
forth,  look  around !  Where  is  our  beautiful  bird?  " 

Far  Seer  surveyed  the  deep  sea,  but  got  no  sight 
of  the  princess.  "  She  is  not  in  the  sea." 

"  If  she  is  not  in  the  sea,  look  on  dry  land." 

Far  Seer  looked  around  again,  and  he  saw  that  the 
princess  was  at  home,  in  the  very  middle  of  her 
father's  garden,  on  the  highest  top  of  a  blooming 
apple-tree,  hidden  in  a  ripe  red  apple.  "  I  have 
found  her !  "  said  Far  Seer. 

"Where  is  she?" 

"  At  home,  in  the  very  centre  of  the  garden,  hid- 
den on  the  highest  top  of  an  apple-tree,  in  the  middle 
of  a  ripe  red  apple." 

"  Here,  Swift  Runner,  come  forth !  " 

Swift  Runner  came  forth,  and  stood  like  a  pillar 
before  Miklos,  waiting  for  command. 

"  Run  in  a  twinkle  to  the  garden  of  the  Green 
King,  in  the  very  middle  of  which  is  blooming  an 


504        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

apple-tree ;  climb  the  tree,  and  bring  me  the  ripe  red 
apple  which  is  on  its  highest  top." 

Swift  Runner  rushed  as  a  whirlwind,  at  horse-death 
speed,  found  the  tree,  climbed  it,  plucked  the  red 
apple,  and  then,  as  if  shot  from  a  cannon,  came 
back  to  Miklos,  and  gave  him  the  apple.  Miklos 
cut  the  apple  in  two  ;  the  Green  Daughter  of  the 
Green  King  fell  out.  He  seated  her  again  in  the 
coach,  and  they  fared  farther. 

They  travelled  and  journeyed,  and  again  the  prin- 
cess beckoned  to  Miklos,  and  said :  "  My  heart's 
heart,  renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  tell  me,  on  thy  true  soul, 
art  thou  taking  me  for  thyself,  or  for  another?  If 
for  thyself,  very  well ;  if  not,  I  '11  play  tricks  with 
thee." 

"  I  am  taking  thee  for  myself;  I  am  taking  thee  for 
another." 

Well,  they  said  no  more.  Once,  while  turning  and 
winding,  they  look  in  the  coach  the  maiden  is  gone ; 
"the  coach  is  empty.  "  Oh,  the  dog  is  in  the  gar- 
den !  "  They  stop,  search  the  six-horse  coach,  but 
find  not  the  maiden. 

"  Friend  Far  Seer,"  said  Miklos,  "  look  around ! 
Where  is  our  beautiful  bird?" 

Far  Seer  was  not  slow ;  in  the  turn  of  an  eye  he 
surveyed  the  round  earth,  but  saw  nowhere  the  Green 
Daughter  of  the  Green  King.  "  She  is  not  on  the 
round  earth,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  look  in  the  deep  sea." 


Kiss  Miklos.  505 


Far  Seer  looked  again ;  in  the  turn  of  an  eye  he 
surveyed  the  deep  sea,  but  saw  not  the  princess. 
"  She  is  not  in  the  deep  sea,"  said  Far  Seer. 

"  Well,  if  she  is  not  in  the  deep  sea,  look  in  the 
cloudy  heavens." 

Far  Seer  looked  around ;  in  the  turn  of  an  eye  he 
surveyed  the  broad  sky  and  the  cloudy  heavens.  He 
saw  a  cocoon  hanging  from  a  thread  slender  as  a 
spider-web,  and  hidden  in  that  cocoon  the  Green 
Daughter  of  the  Green  King.  "  I  have  found  her !  " 
said  Far  Seer. 

"  Where  is  she?  "  asked  Kiss  Miklos. 

"  Far,  far  away,  near  the  round  forest,  from  the 
cloudy  heavens  is  hanging  a  silk  thread,  slender  as  a 
spider-web,  and  on  the  end  dangles  a  cocoon  ;  in  that 
she  is  hidden." 

"  Now,  Far  Caster,  come  forth !  "  said  Miklos. 

Far  Caster  stood  like  a  pillar  before  Kiss  Miklos, 
only  waiting  for  command ;  but  he  had  not  long  to 
wait,  for  Miklos  said :  "Listen,  good  friend  Far  Caster. 
Seest  thou  that  thin  silk  thread  hanging  from  the 
cloudy  sky  near  the  round  forest?" 

"  I  see." 

"  Then  cast  it  down ;  but  only  when  Swift  Runner 
reaches  the  place  beneath,  so  that  it  may  not  fall  on 
the  earth,  but  into  his  hand.  Therefore,  Swift  Run- 
ner, move  thy  wheels  that  way;  catch  the  cocoon 
and  bring  it  to  us." 

Swift  Runner  rushed  at  horse-death  speed  to  the' 


506        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

place ;  Far  Caster  brought  down  the  cocoon.  Swift 
Runner  caught  it  safely,  and  brought  it  to  Miklos, 
who  with  his  bright  knife  cut  it  open,  and  out  came 
the  princess.  Then  he  seated  her  a  third  time  in  the 
coach  ;  but  they  had  arrived  in  the  domains  of  the 
Lead  Friend,  so  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green 
King,  having  lost  her  power,  could  play  no  more 
tricks. 

Kiss  Miklos  took  farewell  of  his  good  friends,  thank- 
ing them  kindly  for  their  aid.  When  they  were  alone 
the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King  fell  to  crying, 
and  said :  "  My  heart's  beautiful  love,  I  know  thou  art 
taking  me  to  that  dog  of  a  Lead  Friend,  and  I  would 
rather  be  the  bride  of  death  than  of  him." 

"  Oh,  my  heart's  golden  bird,"  said  Miklos,  "  I  am 
taking  thee  for  myself ;  but  thou  canst  not  be  mine 
till  I  know  where  the  strength  of  the  Lead  Friend 
lies.  If  we  can  discover  that,  it  will  be  easy  to  de- 
stroy him." 

"  If  that  is  thy  grief,  my  heart's  heart,"  said  she,  "  I 
will  soon  help  thee ;  leave  that  to  me.  Thou  must 
know  I  am  a  woman." 

With  that  Miklos  and  the  princess  kissed  each 
other,  and  there  was  holy  peace ;  they  said:  "I -am 
thine,  thou  art  mine." 

They  travelled  and  journeyed  across  forty-nine 
kingdoms,  till  Kiss  Miklos  could  say,  "  We  are  at 
home,"  —  for  they  were  at  the  Lead  Friend's  mansion, 
—  and  could  say  to  the  princess,  "  Come  out  of  thy 


Kiss  Miklos.  507 


coach ;  it  won't  cost  thee  a  copper."  Here  the  Lead 
Friend  ran  panting  out  of  his  mansion  to  the  beautiful 
princess,  but  she  turned  from  him.  This  pleased  not 
the  Lead  Friend,  and  though  one  word  is  not  much, 
he  uttered  not  that  much,  but  brought  her  into  the 
lead  mansion  in  silence. 

Next  day  at  sunrise  the  Lead  Friend  had  to  go  to 
his  furnace,  taking  Kiss  Miklos  with  him.  The  young 
woman  remained  all  alone,  She  took  a  lamp  and 
started  to  search  through  the  lead  house.  From 
chamber  to  chamber  she  went  till  she  came  to  the 
cellar,  but  that  was  closed  against  her  with  seven  iron 
doors.  Now  the  question  was  to  get  into  the  cellar. 
Another  would  not  have  been  able  to  pass  the  first 
door,  but  every  iron  door  opened  of  itself  before  the 
magic  of  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King. 
She  passed  through  the  seven  doors  and  entered  the 
cellar.  She  saw  there  seven  leaden  vats  placed  in  a 
row,  and  every  one  of  them  filled  to  the  brim  with 
gold  and  silver.  She  took  off  her  apron  and  filled  it 
with  gold,  went  up,  summoned  the  goldsmith,  and 
gilded  the  lead  threshold  a  hand  in  thickness.  The 
Lead  Friend  was  such  a  miser  that  he  had  not  bread 
enough  to  eat,  and  every  little  coin  he  turned  seven 
times  between  his  teeth  before  he  let  it  go  once  from 
his  hand. 

Well,  in  the  evening  the  Lead  Friend  came  home 
from  his  furnace,  saw  the  housekeeping  and  what  the 
young  woman  had  done.  Then,  'pon  my  soul !  he 


508        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

plucked  out  his  own  lead  beard  and  hair,  trampled 
them  like  tow,  and  roared  till  the  lead  house  was 
trembling. 

"  Who,  in  the  name  of  a  hundred  thousand  thun- 
ders, did  this?"  asked  the  Lead  Friend. 

"  I  did  it,"  answered  quite  bravely  the  princess. 

"  How  didst  thou  dare  to  do  it  without  my  knowl- 
edge, —  without  informing  me?  "  With  that  the  Lead 
Friend  went  to  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green 
King,  and  seized  in  his  hand  the  golden  hair  which 
reached  her  heels.  Twelve  times  did  he  drag  her  on 
the  lead  floor,  and  he  wanted  to  take  the  lead  flail  to 
her.  Kiss  Miklos  did  not  permit  that,  but  took  the 
maiden  from  his  grasp  and  placed  her  on  the  silken 
bed.  She  was  neither  dead  nor  alive,  but  lay  as  a 
lifeless  block  of  wood.  But  the  Green  Daughter  of 
the  Green  King  had  no  more  pain  than  good  myself; 
being  a  magic  woman,  seest  thou,  she  had  much  in 
her  power. 

Now,  what  did  she  do?  When  the  Lead  Friend 
wound  around  his  hand  the  golden  hair  reaching  to 
her  heels,  she  suddenly  sprang  out  of  her  skin,  and  a 
devil  jumped  into  it.  And  if  the  Lead  Friend  had 
struck  him  with  the  back  of  an  axe,  he  would  not  have 
felt  a  dog's  trouble ;  for  the  more  he  was  beaten  the 
more  he  would  have  laughed. 

But  the  Lead  Friend  was  troubled ;  ragged,  with 
torn  hair,  crying  and  weeping  he  entered  the  white 
chamber,  where  the  princess  was  lying  without  life. 


Kiss  Miklos. 


509 


He  went  to  her;  pushed  her,  but  she  waked  not; 
talked  to  her,  but  she  heard  not ;  cried,  but  she  lis- 
tened not.  At  last  he  found  this  to  say :  "  Wake,  my 
heart's  beautiful  love ;  I  will  do  all  that  may  please 
thee,  but  stop  the  gilding." 

Then  the  princess  spoke  up  to  the  Lead  Friend, 
"  I  '11  stop  the  gilding,  but  tell  where  thy  strength  lies." 

"  Oh,  my  heart's  beautiful  love,  I  would  rather  part 
with  life  than  tell  that." 

Well,  things  remained  thus.  Next  day  at  sunrise 
the  Lead  Friend  went  to  his  furnace,  taking  Kiss 
Miklos  with  him,  for  he  lived  in  the  suspicion  that 
Miklos  and  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King 
would  plot  together  and  strive  for  his  destruction. 

The  bride  remained  alone ;  she  took  the  lamp  and 
turned  straight  to  the  cellar.  The  great  iron  doors 
opened  before  her  and  closed  behind.  When  she 
had  passed  the  seven  iron  doors  and  entered  the  cel- 
lar, she  spread  her  silk  apron,  and  filled  it  with  gold. 
Three  times  she  returned,  and  three  times  she  bore 
away  the  same  amount,  so  that  the  apron  was  almost 
torn  under  it  Straightway  she  called  the  goldsmith 
and  had  the  lead  thresholds  of  three  chambers  gilded 
to  the  thickness  of  a  hand.  And  as  I  say,  the  Lead 
Friend  was  so  stingy  that  he  did  not  eat  bread  enough, 
and  every  little  coin  he  put  seven 1  times  between  his 
teeth  before  he  let  it  out  of  his  hand  once. 

1  It  is  three  in  the  text,  but  this  is  probably  a  mistake  ;  so 
seven  is  put  here  to  agree  with  p.  507. 


510        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  Lead  Friend  came  home  from  his  furnace 
towards  evening,  and  saw  the  housekeeping,  and  saw 
also  that  now  not  one  but  three  thresholds  were  gilded 
a  hand's  thickness.  Here,  'pon  my  soul !  the  Lead 
Friend  fell  into  such  rage  that  he  tore  his  own  lead 
beard  and  hair  out,  and  trampled  them  as  he  would 
tow.  Then  he  roared  so  terribly  that  the  lead  house 
quivered,  and  turning  to  the  princess  he  asked :  "  In  the 
name  of  a  hundred  thousand  devils,  who  did  this?" 

"  I  did  it,"  answered  the  princess  quite  bravely. 

"  How  didst  thou  dare  to  do  this  without  my  knowl- 
edge and  consent?  " 

With  that  the  Lead  Friend  seized  the  golden  hair 
of  the  princess,  which  reached  to  her  heels,  and 
dragged  her  twelve  times  up  and  down  the  lead  floor, 
twelve  times  did  he  hurl  her  against  the  floor,  then  he 
ran  for  the  lead  flail  to  kill  her.  Kiss  Miklos  would 
not  let  him  do  that,  but  seized  the  maiden  from  his 
hands,  and  placed  her  on  the  silken  bed.  The  Green 
Daughter  of  the  Green  King  was  neither  dead  nor 
alive;  she  lay  there  still  as  a  soulless  block  of  wood. 
Still  the  princess  felt  no  more  pain  than  good  myself. 
She  knew  witchcraft,  and  whatever  she  did  or  did  not 
do,  when  the  Lead  Friend  twisted  her  golden  hair  in 
his  hand,  she  jumped  out  of  her  skin  in  a  twinkle,  and 
a  devil  got  into  it ;  if  they  had  beaten  him  like  a  two- 
headed  drum,  or  even  more,  he  would  have  taken  it  as 
if  they  were  fondling  him. 

Now  the  Lead  Friend  was  terribly  sorry ;  ragged, 


Kiss  Miklos.  511 


with  torn  hair,  he  entered  the  white  chamber  weep- 
ing ;  he  wept  a  long  time ;  pushed  the  princess,  who 
waked  not ;  spoke  to  her,  she  heard  not ;  at  last  he 
found  this  to  say :  "  Wake  up,  my  heart's  beautiful 
love ;  all  thy  desires  will  be  accomplished,  only  stop 
the  gilding." 

"  I  '11  stop  the  gilding,  but  tell  where  thy  strength 
lies." 

"  Oh,  my  heart's  beautiful  love,  I  would  rather 
part  with  my  life  than  tell  that." 

Next  day  at  sunrise  the  Lead  Friend  took  Kiss 
Miklos  to  the  furnace,  lest  while  he  was  gone  himself 
Miklos  might  go  in  secret  and  gather  another  man's 
hay.  The  bride  was  alone  again,  and  wanted  nothing 
better.  Again  she  took  the  lamp  and  went  straight 
to  the  cellar,  where  she  opened  her  beautiful  silk 
apron  and  filled  it  with  gold,  —  took  so  much  that  the 
apron  almost  tore  under  it.  She  came  seven  times, 
and  each  time  carried  so  much  gold  that  her  nose 
almost  cut  the  earth,  like  the  coulter  of  a  plough. 
Then  she  called  a  goldsmith,  and  gilded  to  a  hand's 
thickness  the  thresholds  of  seven  rooms. 

When  the  Lead  Friend  came  home  in  the  evening, 
he  saw  that  not  three  but  seven  thresholds  had  a 
hand's  thickness  of  gold  on  them.  Then  he  fell  into 
such  a  rage  that  he  tore  his  leaden  beard  and  hair, 
and  trampled  them  as  he  would  tow;  but  what  good 
did  that  do  him?  —  for  he  was  trampling  his  own. 
Then  he  roared  till  the  lead  house  rattled,  and  in  his 


512        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

fury  he  asked:   "A  thousand  million  demons,  who 
did  this?" 

"  I  did  it,"  answered  the  princess  all  bravely. 

"  How  didst  thou  dare  to  do  this  without  my  knowl- 
edge or  command?  " 

With  that  he  went  in  fury  to  the  Green  Daughter  of 
the  Green  King,  wound  round  his  hand  the  golden 
hair  which  reached  to  her  heels.  Twelve  times  did 
he  drag  her  oyfer  the  leaden  floor,  twelve  times  did  he 
dash  her  against  it,  twelve  times  did  he  raise  her  aloft, 
—  and  that  was  not  enough;  but  he  took  out  the  lead 
flail,  and  began  to  thrash  and  beat  the  princess  as  if 
she  were  a  bundle  ,of  wheat,  so  that  she  was  swim- 
ming in  blood.  Kiss  Miklos  took  her  from  his  hands 
and  placed  her  on  the  silken  bed,  where  she  lay, 
neither  dead  nor  alive,  still  as  a  lifeless  block. 

Now  the  Lead  Friend  grew  terribly  sorry,  and 
making  himself  squalid  looking,  he  entered  the 
white  chamber,  rushed  to  the  princess,  wept  with- 
out ceasing,  touched  her  but  she  woke  not,  spoke 
to  her  but  she  heard  him  not.  At  last  he  found 
this  to  say:  "Wake  up,  my  heart's  beautiful  love. 
I  will  tell  where  my  strength  lies.  In  the  silken 
meadow  under  the  seventh  bush  is  a  hare,  under 
the  tail  of  the  hare  an  egg,  in  the  egg  a  hornet, 
and  in  the  hornet  is  hidden  my  strength,  so  that  I 
live  as  long  as  the  hornet  lives ;  if  the  hornet  dies, 
I  die  too." 

The  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King  heard  all 


Kiss  Miklos.  513 


these  words  clearly,  but  acted  as  if  she  were  neither 
dead  nor  alive,  —  lay  there  like  a  soulless  block. 

Well,  'pon  my  soul !  what  came  of  the  affair  or 
what  did  not,  the  princess  rose  from  her  silken  bed 
in  the  night-time,  quietly,  in  one  garment;  but  she 
threw  a  great  shawl  around  her  neck,  slipped  out  of 
the  gate,  found  Kiss  Miklos,  to  whom  her  word  and 
speech  was  this :  "  Wake  up,  my  heart's  beautiful  love, 
renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  I  know  now  whe*e  the  strength 
of  the  Lead  Friend  lies ;  but  listen  to  my  word.  In 
the  silken  meadow  under  the  seventh  bush  lies  a  hare, 
under  the  hare's  tail  is  an  egg,  in  the  egg  a  hornet,  in 
the  hornet  is  the  Lead  Friend's  strength.  If  thou  kill 
the  hornet,  the  Lead  Friend  will  lose  his  strength." 

Our  Miklos  wanted  nought  else.  He  turned  himself 
at  once  into  a  hound,  drove  the  hare  from  the  seventh 
bush  of  the  silken  meadow.  'The  hare  began  to  run, 
but  the  hound  was  not  slow;  with  a  long  stick  he 
struck  the  egg  from  the  hare's  tail.  The  egg  broke 
and  the  hornet  flew  out,  but  the  hound  was  not  slow; 
with  a  great  jump  he  caught  the  hornet,  and  crushed  it 
to  bits  in  his  teeth.  Then  the  hound  shook  himself 
and  turned  into  Kiss  Miklos  again. 

At  daylight  the  Lead  Friend  was  sick.  He  had  lost 
his  strength,  he  could  not  move  his  hands  or  his  feet, 
and  lay  groaning  on  his  lead  couch  like  a  man  who 
had  been  pressing  a  straw-bed  for  seven  years ;  and 
when  the  sun  rose  he  breathed  out  his  cursed  soul. 

Who  was   more  delighted  at  his  death  than  our 
33 


514        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk-Tales. 

Kiss  Miklos  and  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green 
King?  Straightway  they  called  a  priest  and  a  hang- 
man and  an  iron  cap.  The  priest  joined  them,  the 
hangman  thrashed  around,  God's  arrow  flashed,  but 
no  one  was  struck.  There  was  soup  plenty  and  to 
spare,  lucky  was  the  man  who  came  with  a  spoon ; 
the  unhappy  were  happy ;  the  gypsy  fiddled,  and  the 
music  spoke.  When  the  feasting  and  the  poppy 
week  had  passed,  Kiss  Miklos  and  his  consort  took  a 
chariot  of  glass  and  gold,  drawn  by  six  black-haired 
steeds,  and  set  out  for  Miklos's  birthplace.  Now,  the 
shining  sun  had  shone  so  sadly,  and  the  bright  moon 
had  beamed  so  sadly  that  it  could  not  be  more  so  ; 
but  the  moment  they  beheld  Miklos  and  his  wife  in 
the  chariot  of  glass  and  gold,  the  bright  sun  shone 
joyously,  and  so  did  the  clear  moon. 

"What's  this?  what's  this?"  said  to  himself  the 
old  king,  who  still  rejoiced  in  good  health.  He  sum- 
moned the  wise  men  and  the  skilled  scribes  of  the 
kingdom  to  his  palace  and  gave  them  the  following 
question :  "  Explain  to  me  this.  It  is  seven  years 
since  the  two  sons  of  the  poor  man  brought  back  the 
bright  moon  and  the  shining  sun ;  these  two  sons  are 
now  ruling  kings,  —  may  God  keep  them  in  health  ! 
—  but  the  clear  moon  and  the  shining  sun  gave  us 
such  sorrowful  light,  and  now  all  at  once  both  are 
radiant." 

One  old  man  skilled  in  letters,  and  so  old  that  his 
white  beard  almost  came  to  the  earth,  and  he  could 


Kiss  Miklos.  515 


not  stand  on  his  feet  alone,  but  three  men  supported 
him,  spoke  the  following  words :  "  Haho  !  high  lord, 
there  is  great  reason  for  this.  The  clear  moon  and  the 
shining  sun  were  sad  because  the  man  who  really 
freed  them  from  the  claws  of  the  dragons  was 
pinioned  in  bondage ;  and  he  is  no  other  than  the 
renowned  Kiss  Miklos,  the  poor  man's  youngest  son, 
who  even  at  this  moment  is  driving  to  the  king's 
palace  with  the  Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King, 
in  a  chariot  drawn  by  six  horses." 

That  moment  Kiss  Miklos  and  his  wife  entered  the 
white  chamber  together.  Here  the  lords  and  those 
great  wise  men  all  rose  before  them,  as  did  even 
the  old  king  himself,  who  advancing  embraced  and 
kissed  them,  led  them  to  his  own  purple  velvet 
throne,  seated  them  thereon,  and  turning  to  the  wise 
men  and  the  skilled  scribes,  asked  them,  "  Who  really 
deserves  the  kingdom,  the  elder  brothers  or  Kiss 
Miklos?" 

The  council  said  :  "  Kiss  Miklos." 

Then  Miklos  rose  and  said  to  the  old  king  and  the 
council :  "  High  king  and  worthy  council,  it  is  true 
that  I  deserve  the  kingdom,  and  I  would  take  it  were 
I  not  the  heir  of  the  far-famed  Lead  Friend,  and  were 
it  not  that  the  dominions  of  the  Green  King,  after  his 
death,  —  which  from  my  heart  I  wish  not,  — will  come 
to  me.  This  being  the  case  the  worthy  council  can 
see,  and  thy  Highness  can  see  also,  that  I  may  not 
accept  the  kingdom.  Let  it  remain  as  it  is,  —  let  my 


516        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

eldest  brother  be  king,  and  my  second  brother  be 
viceroy;  they  are,  I  think,  honorable  men,  and 
worthy." 

The  lords,  sages,  and  skilled  scribes  present,  as 
well  as  the  old  king,  rose  up  and  confirmed  the  wise 
speech  of  the  youthful  Kiss  Miklos. 

Then  the  two  brothers  of  Kiss  Miklos  —  the  king 
and  the  viceroy  —  entered ;  they  embraced  and  kissed 
one  another,  and  sacred  was  the  peace.  After  that, 
Kiss  Miklos  and  his  wife  returned  to  the  domains  of 
the  Lead  Friend,  and  after  the  death  of  the  Green 
King,  Kiss  Miklos  inherited  his  dominions.  And  so 
he  ruled  two  kingdoms  very  happily ;  and  he  and  the 
Green  Daughter  of  the  Green  King  are  living  yet,  if 
they  are  not  dead. 


THE  HEDGEHOG,  THE  MERCHANT,  THE  KING, 
AND  THE  POOR  MAN. 

\  T  7"HERE  there  was,  where  there  was  not,  it  is 
*  *  enough  that  there  was  once  a  merchant, 
there  were  also  a  king,  and  a  poor  man. 

One  day  the  merchant  went  out  to  hunt,  and  he 
travelled  and  journeyed  till,  oh  !  my  lord's  son,  he 
found  himself  in  such  a  thick  forest  that  he  saw 
neither  the  sky  nor  the  earth ;  he  just  groped  around 
like  a  blindman.  Here,  'pon  my  soul !  whether  the 
merchant  tried  to  free  himself  by  turning  to  the  left 
or  the  right,  he  only  went  into  a  thicker  place.  When 
he  was  there  five  days,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  stum- 
bling about  in  the  great  wild  wood  without  liberation, 
the  merchant  called  out :  — 

"  Oh,  my  God,  if  any  one  would  take  me  out  of  this 
great  wild  thicket  to  the  right  road,  I  would  give  him 
the  best  of  my  three  daughters,  and  as  a  wedding  gift 
three  sacks  of  coin." 

"  I  '11  lead  thee  out  right  away,"  said  some  one 
before  him. 

The  merchant  looked  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  but 
not  a  soul  did  he  see. 


518        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

"  Don't  look  around,"  said  the  certain  one  again, 
"  look  under  thy  feet" 

The  merchant  then  looked  in  front  and  saw  that 
near  his  feet  was  a  little  hedgehog,  and  to  him  he 
directed  then  his  word  and  speech.  "  Well,  if  thou 
wilt  lead  me  out,  I  will  give  thee  my  best  daughter 
and  three  sacks  of  coin;  the  first  will  be  gold,  the 
second  silver,  and  the  third  copper." 

The  hedgehog  went  on  ahead,  the  merchant  walked 
after.  Soon  they  came  out  of  the  great  wild  wood. 
Then  the  hedgehog  went  back,  and  the  merchant 
turned  his  wagon-tongue  homeward. 

Now  the  king  went  to  hunt,  —  went  in  the  same  way 
as  the  merchant ;  and  he  too  was  lost  in  the  great  wild 
wood.  The  king  went  to  the  right  and  the  left,  tried 
in  every  way  to  free  himself;  all  he  gained  was 
that  he  came  to  a  thicker  and  a  darker  place.  He 
too  stumbled  around  five  days  in  the  thick  wood, 
without  food  or  drink.  On  the  sixth  morning  the 
king  cried  out :  "  Oh,  my  God  !  if  any  one  would  free 
me  from  this  dense  wood,  even  if  a  worm,  I  would 
give  him  the  most  beautiful  of  my  daughters,  and  as 
a  wedding  gift  three  coaches  full  of  coin." 

"  I  '11  lead  thee  out  right  away,"  said  some  one 
near  him. 

The  king  looked  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  but  saw 
not  a  soul. 

"Why  stare  around?  Look  at  thy  feet;  here  I 
am." 


The  Hedgehog.  519 


The  king  then  looked  at  his  feet  and  saw  a  little 
hedgehog  stretched  out,  and  said  to  him :  "  Well, 
hedgehog,  if  thou  wilt  lead  me  forth,  I  '11  give  thee 
the  fairest  of  my  daughters  and  three  coaches  full  of 
coin,  —  the  first  gold,  the  second  silver,  the  third 
copper." 

The  hedgehog  went  ahead,  the  king  followed,  and 
in  this  way  they  soon  came  out  of  the  great  wild 
wood.  The  hedgehog  went  back  to  his  own  place ; 
the  king  reached  home  in  safety. 

Very  well,  a  poor  man  went  out  for  dry  branches. 
He  went  like  the  merchant  and  king,  and  he  got 
astray,  so  that  he  wandered  dry  and  hungry  for  five 
days  in  the  great  wild  wood ;  and  whether  he  turned 
to  the  right  or  the  left  he  gained  only  this,  that  he 
went  deeper  into  the  denseness. 

"  My  God,"  cried  the  poor  man  at  last,  "  send  me  a 
liberator  !  If  he  would  lead  me  out  of  this  place,  as 
I  have  neither  gold  nor  silver,  I  would  take  him  as  a 
son,  and  care  for  him  as  my  own  child." 

"Well,  my  lord  father,  I'll  lead  thee  out;  only 
follow." 

"  Where  art  thou,  dear  son?  " 

"  Here,  under  thy  feet;  only  look  this  way,  my  lord 
father." 

The  poor  man  looked  near  his  feet,  and  saw  a  little 
hedgehog  stretched  out. 

"  Well,  my  dear  son,  lead  me  out  and  I  '11  keep  my 
promise." 


520       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

The  hedgehog  went  ahead,  the  poor  man  followed, 
and  soon  they  came  out  of  the  great  wild  wood. 
The  hedgehog  then  went  back  to  his  own  place,  and 
the  poor  man  strolled  home. 

Well,  things  remained  thus  till  once  after  bedtime 
there  was  a  knocking  at  the  poor  man's  door.  "  My 
lord  father,  rise  up,  open  the  door."  The  poor  man, 
who  was  lying  on  the  stove,  heard  only  that  some 
one  was  knocking  at  the  door. 

"  My  lord  father,  rise  up;  open  the  door." 

The  poor  man  heard,  and  heard  that  some  one  was 
knocking  and  as  he  thought  calling  out:  "  My  lord 
father,  rise  up,  open  the  door;  "  .but  in  his  world  life 
he  had  never  had  a  son.  The  third  time  he  heard 
clearly,  "  My  lord  father,  rise  up,  open  the  door." 

The  poor  man  did  not  take  this  as  a  joke.  He  rose 
up  and  opened  the  door.  My  lord's  son,  who  came 
in  to  him?  No  one  else  than  the  little  hedgehog. 

"  God  give  a  good  evening  to  my  lord  father  and 
to  my  mother  as  well,"  said  the  hedgehog. 

"  God  receive  thee,  my  dear  son.  Hast  thou  come 
then?" 

"  I  have  indeed,  as  thou  seest,  my  lord  father  ;  but  I 
am  very  tired,  therefore  wake  up  my  mother  and  let 
her  make  a  bed  for  me  in  my  chamber." 

What  was  the  poor  man  to  do?  He  woke  up  his 
wife  ;  she  made  a  towering  bed,  and  the  hedgehog 
lay  in  it.  In  the  morning  the  poor  man  and  his  wife 
sat  down  to  breakfast.  They  did  not  wish  to  forget 


The  Hedgehog.  521 


their  adopted  son,  but  gave  him  food  on  a  wooden 
plate  under  a  bench  by  the  fire.  The  hedgehog  did 
not  touch  it.  "  Well,  my  son,"  asked  the  poor  man, 
"why  not  eat?" 

"  I  do  not  eat,  my  lord  father,  because  it  is  not 
proper  to  treat  an  adopted  son  like  some  orphan  or 
another ;  therefore  it  beseems  me  not  to  eat  all  alone 
from  a  wooden  plate  under  a  bench  at  the  fire.  Seat 
me  nicely  at  the  table  by  thy  side,  put  a  tin  plate 
before  me,  and  place  my  food  on  it." 

What  was  the  poor  man  to  do?  He  seated  the 
Hedgehog  at  his  side,  put  a  tin  plate  before  him,  and 
measured  out  food  on  it ;  then  the  Hedgehog  ate 
with  his  father  and  mother.  When  they  had  finished 
breakfast  the  Hedgehog  spoke  thuswise :  "  Well,  my 
lord  father,  hast  thou  a  couple  of  thalers  ?  " 

"  I  have." 

"  I  suppose  thou  art  keeping  them  to  buy  salt  and 
wood  with  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  son." 

"  I  speak  not  of  that,  I  am  speaking  of  this :  lend 
me  the  money  ;  I  will  return  it  a  thousand-fold.  Set 
not  thy  mind  much  on  salt  and  wood  now ;  but  go, 
my  lord  father,  to  the  market.  In  such  and  such  a 
place  an  old  woman  has  a  black  cock  for  sale ;  buy 
him  of  her.  If  she  asks  a  small  price,  give  her  double ; 
for  that  will  be  my  steed.  When  thou  hast  bought  the 
cock  for  two  prices,  in  such  and  such  a  place  is  a 
saddler;  go  to  him.  In  a  corner  of  his  shop  is  a  cast- 


522        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


away,  thrown-away,  ragged,  torn  saddle;  buy  that 
for  me,  but  give  him  two  prices  also.  If  he  asks  little, 
give  him  double." 

The  poor  man  put  on  his  coat,  put  the  two  thalers 
in  his  pocket,  went  to  the  market,  bought  the  black 
cock  and  the  cast-away,  thrown-away  saddle  for  two 
prices  ;  each  one  for  two  small  bits  of  money. 

The  Hedgehog  then  saddled  the  black  cock  with 
the  cast-away,  thrown-away  saddle,  sat  upon  him,  and 
went  to  the  court  of  the  rich  merchant  whom  he  had 
led  out  of  the  great  wild  wood ;  he  knocked  at  the 
door  and  called :  "  Hei,  father-in-law,  open  the  gate, 
let  me  in!" 

The  rich  merchant  opened  the  gate  in  great  won- 
der. Who  was  coming?  No  one  other  than  our 
Hedgehog,  riding  on  a  black  cock. 

"  Hear  me,  rich  merchant,"  began  the  Hedgehog ; 
"  knowest  thou  thy  promise?  When  I  led  thee  out  of 
the  great  wild  wood,  dost  remember  thy  promise  to 
give  me  the  best  of  thy  three  daughters  and  three 
sacks  of  coin?  Now  I  have  come  for  the  maid  and 
the  money." 

What  could  the  rich  merchant  do?  He  called  his 
three  daughters  into  the  white  chamber,  and  turned 
to  the  Hedgehog,  saying :  "  Well,  choose  among  the 
three  the  one  who  pleases  thy  eye,  thy  mouth,  and 
thy  heart." 

The  Hedgehog  chose  the  second  daughter,  for  she 
was  the  most  beautiful  of  the  three.  The  merchant  then 


The  Hedgehog.  523 


measured  out  three  sacks  of  coin,  —  in  the  first,  as  he 
had  said,  there  was  gold,  in  the  second  silver,  in  the 
third  copper ;  then  he  put  his  daughter  and  the  three 
sacks  of  coin  in  a  coach,  to  which  four  horses  were 
attached,  and  he  sent  on  her  way  his  most  beautiful 
daughter,  with  the  Hedgehog.  They  travelled  and 
journeyed  till  the  Hedgehog,  who  was  riding  at  the 
side  of  the  coach  on  his  black  cock,  came  up,  looked 
in  through  the  window,  and  saw  that  the  bride  was 
in  tears. 

"  Why  dost  thou  cry,  why  dost  thou  weep,  my 
heart's  beautiful  love?"  asked  the  Hedgehog  of  the 
maiden. 

"  Why  should  I  not  cry,  why  should  I  not  weep, 
when  God  has  punished  me  with  such  a  nasty  thing 
as  thee  ?  —  for  I  know  not  whether  thou  art  a  man 
or  a  beast." 

"  If  this  is  thy  only  trouble,  my  heart's  beautiful 
love,  we  can  easily  cure  it ;  I  '11  keep  the  three  sacks 
of  coin  for  myself,  and  thee  I  '11  send  back  to  thy 
father,  for  I  see  that  of  me  thou  art  not  worthy." 

Thus  was  it  settled  ;  the  Hedgehog  kept  the  three 
sacks  of  coin,  but  the  merchant's  daughter  he  sent 
back  to  her  father.  The  Hedgehog  then  took  the 
coin  to  the  poor  man,  who  became  so  rich  that  I  think 
another  could  not  be  found  like  him  in  seven  villages. 

Now  the  Hedgehog  plucked  up  courage,  saddled  his 
black  cock,  sat  on  him,  and  rode  away  to  the  king, 
stood  before  him,  and  spoke  in  this  fashion :  "  Dost 


524        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk-Talcs. 

thou  remember,  king,  that  when  I  brought  thee  out  of 
the  great  wild  wood,  thou  didst  promise  that  if  I  would 
show  the  right  road  thou  wouldst  give  me  the  most 
beautiful  of  thy  three  daughters  and  fill  for  me  three 
coaches,  the  first  with  gold,  the  second  with  silver, 
and  the  third  with  copper  coin?  I  am  here  so  that 
thou  mayest  keep  thy  word." 

The  king  called  his  three  daughters  to  the  white 
chamber  and  said  :  "  I  made  a  promise,  and  this  is  it : 
to  give  one  of  my  three  daughters  to  this  Hedgehog 
as  wife;  I  promised  because  the  Hedgehog  led  me 
out  of  a  great  wild  wood,  in  which  I  wandered  for 
five  days  without  food  or  drink,  and  he  saved  me  from 
certain  death.  Therefore  say,  my  dear  daughters, 
which  of  you  will  agree  to  marry  the  Hedgehog." 

The  eldest  daughter  turned  away,  the  second  turned 
away  also ;  but  the  youngest  and  fairest  spoke  thus  : 
"  If  thou,  my  father  the  king,  hast  made  such  a  prom- 
ise, I  will  marry  him.  Let  the  will  of  God  be  done  if 
he  has  appointed  such  a  husband  for  me." 

"  Thou  art  my  dearest  and  best  daughter,"  said  the 
king;  and  he  kissed  her  again  and  again.  Then  the 
king  measured  out  three  coaches  of  coin,  seated 
the  princess  in  a  chariot  of  gold  and  glass  and  started 
her  on  her  journey,  amid  bitter  tear-shedding,  with  the 
Hedgehog,  who  rode  at  the  side  of  the  chariot  on  his 
black  cock.  They  travelled  and  journeyed  across 
forty-nine  kingdoms  till  the  Hedgehog  rode  up  to  the 
chariot,  opened  the  window,  looked  in,  and  saw  that 


The  Hedgehog.  525 


the  princess  was   not  weeping,  but  was  in  the  best 
cheerful  humor. 

"  Oh,  my  heart's  beautiful  love,"  said  the  princess, 
"why  art  thou  riding  on  that  black  cock?  Better 
come  here  and  sit  at  my  side  on  the  velvet  cushion." 

"  Thou  art  not  afraid  of  me  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  afraid." 

"  Thou  art  not  disgusted  with  me  ?  " 

"  No ;  if  God  has  given  thee  to  me,  then  thou 
shouldst  be  mine." 

"  Thou  art  my  only  and  most  beloved  wife !  "  said 
the  Hedgehog ;  and  with  that  he  shook  himself,  and 
straightway  turned  into  such  a  pearl-given,  charm- 
ing, twenty-four-years-old  king's  son  that  tongue 
could  not  tell,  —  golden-haired,  golden-mouthed, 
golden-toothed.  And  the  black  cock  shook  himself 
three  times,  and  became  such  a  golden-haired  magic 
steed  that  his  equal  would  have  to  be  sought  for; 
the  cast-away,  thrown-away  saddle  became  golden, 
everything  on  it  was  gold  to  the  last  buckle. 

The  king's  son  then  picked  out  the  most  beautiful 
place  in  the  kingdom  ;  standing  in  the  middle  of  this 
he  thought  once,  and  suddenly  that  instant  there 
stood  before  him  a  copper-roofed  marble  palace, 
turning  on  a  cock's  foot,  and  in  it  every  kind  of  the 
most  varied  and  beautiful  golden  furniture,  —  every- 
thing and  everything  was  of  gold,  beginning  with  the 
mirror-frame  and  ending  with  the  cooking-spoon. 
The  king's  son  conducted  the  beautiful  golden  bird 


526      Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 


- 


—  the  fair  princess  —  into  the  pearl-given  palace, 
where,  like  birds  in  a  nest,  they  lived  in  quiet  har- 
mony. When  the  merchant's  three  daughters  and 
the  two  elder  princesses  heard  of  the  happiness  of 
the  youngest  princess,  —  how  well  she  had  married,  — 
in  their  sorrow  one  of  them  jumped  into  a  well,  an- 
other drowned  herself  in  a  hemp-pond,  and  a  third 
was  drawn  dead  out  of  the  river  Tisza  [Theiss].  In 
this  way  four  of  the  maidens  came  to  an  evil  end ; 
but  the  second  daughter  of  the  merchant  gritted  her 
teeth  venomously  at  the  princess,  and  made  a  firm 
and  merciless  resolve  that  she  would  imbitter  her 
life's  happiness.  She  went  therefore  to  the  palace, 
and  found  service  in  the  guise  of  an  old  woman.  She, 
the  devil-given,  came  at  a  critical  time ;  for  the  Bur- 
kus  king1  had  declared  war  against  the  king's  son, 
and  the  princess,  while  her  husband  was  in  the  field, 
was  left  to  the  care  of  the  merchant's  daughter,  dis- 
guised as  an  old  woman.  Milk  might  as  well  be  con- 
fided to  a  cat  as  the  princess  to  that  cockroach  of  the 
underground  kingdom.  While  the  king's  son  was 
gone,  the  Lord  gave  the  princess  two  beautiful  chil- 
dren. The  old  woman  packed  them  into  a  basket, 
put  them  under  a  tree  in  the  woods,  then  ran  back  to 
the  princess,  who,  recovering  from  a  faint  into  which 
she  had  fallen,  asked  the  old  woman  to  give  her  the 
children  so  that  she  might  embrace  and  kiss  them. 

1  The  Prussian  king,  —  King  of  Prussia. 


The  Hedgehog.  527 


"  High  queen,"  answered  the  old  woman,  "  what 
is  the  use  in  delay  or  denial?  They  were  two  un- 
timely, hairy  monsters,  and  to  save  thee  from  terror 
at  sight  of  them,  I  threw  both  into  the  river." 

The  two  children  slept  quietly  under  the  tree  till  a 
white  deer  burst  with  great  noise  through  the  thicket, 
went  straight  as  if  sent,  and  taking  the  basket  hung 
it  on  his  antlers ;  then  the  white  deer  disappeared 
in  the  forest,  went  on  till  he  came  to  the  bank  of 
a  stream,  where  he  called  three  times.  The  Forest 
Maiden  appeared  as  if  by  magic,  took  the  basket  with 
great  delight,  and  ran  panting  into  her  own  palace. 

The  two  children  were  seven  years  with  the  Forest 
Maiden,  who  reared  them  as  carefully  as  if  they  had 
been  her  own. 

Here,  'pon  my  soul,  what  came  of  the  affair,  or 
what  did  not,  the  Forest  Maiden  once  sent  the  little 
girl  with  a  green  jug  for  water,  and  enjoined  on  her 
rigorously  to  be  careful  not  to  break  the  jug. 

The  little  girl  did  not  let  this  be  said  twice ;  she 
was  obedient  and  attentive.  She  took  the  jug,  and 
was  at  the  well  in  a  moment.  When  she  came,  she 
saw  a  little  golden  bird  flying  around  the  well.  Being 
a  child,  she  wanted  to  catch  the  golden  bird,  there- 
fore ran  around  with  the  jug  in  her  hand  till  at  last 
she  saw  that  only  the  handle  was  left.  The  little  girl, 
terrified,  burst  into  tears,  sat  at  the  edge  of  the  well, 
and  cried  there.  The  Forest  Maiden  waited  and 
waited  ;  but  she  could  not  wait  longer,  therefore  she 


528       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

sent  the  little  brother  with  a  second  jug,  and  told 
him  sternly  to  be  careful  not  to  break  the  jug.  The 
little  brother  went  in  the  same  way,  for  he  also,  like 
children  of  that  age,  barely  saw  the  golden  bird  when 
he  wanted  to  strike  it  with  the  jug,  which  he  whirled 
around  till  only  the  handle  remained  in  his  hand ; 
then  he  burst  into  tears,  sat  by  his  sister,  and  there 
the  two  were  crying  at  the  edge  of  the  well. 

Here,  'pon  my  soul,  the  golden  bird  pitied  the 
children,  and  asked :  "  Why  do  ye  cry?  Why  do  ye 
weep,  pretty  children?  " 

"  Oh,  pretty  bird,"  answered  the  boy,  who  had 
more  sense  than  his  sister,  "  why  should  we  not 
cry  ?  Why  should  we  not  weep?  We  shall  be  flogged 
for  breaking  the  green  jugs;  our  dear  mother  will 
whip  us." 

"  Oh,  my  children,  she  is  not  your  own  mother ! 
She  is  only  your  foster-mother.  Your  father  and 
mother  live  far  from  here,  —  beyond  those  green 
mountains ;  so  if  ye  will  follow,  I  '11  lead  you  home." 

The  two  children  wanted  nothing  else.  They  went 
back  no  more  to  their  foster-mother,  for  they  would 
be  flogged ;  but  they  followed  the  golden  bird,  which 
went  always  before  them.  And  they  travelled  and 
journeyed  till  once  in  a  forest  they  came  upon  a 
great  heap  of  gold ;  near  the  gold  was  a  number  of 
dice,  as  if  some  one  had  been  playing  there.  The 
little  boy  and  girl  each  took  a  handful  of  gold,  and 
went  farther.  They  travelled  and  journeyed  till  they 


The  Hedgehog.  529 


came  to  an  inn  ;  since  they  were  wearied,  and  it  was 
evening,  they  went  in  to  ask  lodging.  In  the  inn 
three  lords  were  playing  dice;  the  two  children  at 
first  merely  noticed  that  they  were  playing.  At  last 
the  boy  took  from  his  pocket  the  handful  of  gold, 
and  began  to  play  in  such  fashion  that  he  won  all 
the  money  of  the  three  lords ;  and  then  one  of  them 
spoke  thuswise :  — 

"Well,  my  dear  son,  I  see  that  thou  hast  good  luck. 
I  have  in  a  certain  place  a  charming  flower-garden  ;  in 
the  middle  of  the  garden  is  a  marble  palace,  and  the 
palace  has  this  peculiarity,  —  if  it  is  struck  on  the  side 
three  times  with  this  golden  rod,  it  will  turn  into  a 
golden  apple ;  and  thou  mayest  put  down  the  marble 
palace  and  the  flower-garden  in  any  part  of  the  world 
if  thou  wilt  strike  the  golden  apple  with  the  small  end  of 
the  golden  rod.  I  will  bet  now  this  flower-garden  and 
this  marble  palace ;  if  thou  canst  win,  they  '11  be  thine." 

The  little  boy  agreed ;  and  he  won  fortunately  the 
flower-garden  and  the  marble  palace.  The  other 
then  gave  him  the  golden  rod,  and  showed  him  where 
the  garden  and  the  palace  were.  Next  morning  the 
children  sought  out  the  garden  and  the  palace,  which 
the  boy  struck  three  times  on  the  side,  and  it  turned 
to  a  golden  apple ;  he  put  the  apple  in  his  pocket,  and 
strolled  on  homeward.  The  little  golden  bird  flew  al- 
ways ahead  of  them.  They  travelled  and  journeyed 
till  one  time  the  golden  bird  stopped  and  said :  — 

"Well,  dear  children,  now  we  are  at  home;  put 
34 


530       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

down  the  golden  apple  on  this  spot  and  strike  it 
three  times  with  the  rod,  and  ye  will  see  what  a 
beautiful  marble  palace  and  flowery  garden  there 
will  be,  speaking  to  the  seven  kingdoms.  The  re- 
port of  the  palace  and  garden  will  circulate  imme- 
diately, and  the  king  himself  will  come  to  look  at 
them.  Him  ye  must  honor  as  your  father,  for  thou 
my  little  boy  art  the  king's  son,  and  thou  my  little 
girl  the  king's  daughter.  Dear  children,  here  in  a 
golden  frame  is  a  picture  which  gives  your  arms 
and  name.  Hang  in  the  palace  this  picture,  in  the 
best  place ;  but  lest  it  be  seen,  cover  it  with  velvet, 
and  show  it  to  no  man  save  your  own  father.  When 
he  asks  what  that  picture  is,  draw  the  velvet  from  it, 
and  the  rest  will  follow." 

So  it  happened ;  the  two  children  hung  up  the  pic- 
ture in  the  best  room  *of  the  marble  palace,  and 
covered  it  with  velvet.  Now,  the  report  ran  to  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  kingdom  that  there  was  a  charming 
and  wonderful  marble  palace  in  such  and  such  a  place, 
and  people  hastened  from  the  seventh  province  distant 
to  look  at  it ;  so  that  the  report  came  to  the  ears  of  the 
king  himself.  The  king  decided  straightway  to  look 
at  the  flowery  garden  and  marble  palace ;  but  he  had 
hardly  conceived  the  idea  when  the  old  woman  gave 
him  a  drug.  The  king  fell  ill,  and  could  not  see  the 
flowery  garden  and  marble  palace ;  and  then  the  old 
woman,  without  invitation,  stood  before  the  king  and 
said:  "High  king,  if  thou  art  so  curious  to  see  this 


The  Hedgehog.  531 


flowery  garden  and  marble  palace,  then  I  will  go  and 
see  if  they  are  as  beautiful  as  report  says,  and  tell  the 
story  to  thy  Highness." 

The  king  in  one  way  or  another  agreed,  and  the 
old  woman  went,  not  to  see  the  garden,  but  to  bring 
the  two  children  to  evil  destruction ;  the  wicked 
creature  tried  but  succeeded  not,  for  her  weapons 
broke.  Not  to  confound  one  word  with  another,  I 
will  tell  the  whole  tale  in  order  and  accuracy. 

The  old  witch  had  barely  reached  the  famous 
flower-garden  when  the  two  children  hurried  before 
her  and  showed  everything  from  root  to  top,  and  the 
old  piece  of  leather  began  to  talk  thus :  "  It  is  true 
that  the  garden  is  beautiful,  but  it  would  be  seven 
times  more  beautiful  if  ye  would  bring  the  world- 
sounding  tree." 

"  What  must  be  done  to  get  that?  "  asked  the  little 
boy. 

"  Not  other  than  this,"  answered  the  old  skeleton : 
"  In  such  and  such  a  place,  in  an  enchanted  palace, 
is  the  world-sounding  tree ;  but  ye  must  go  for  it  and 
bring  it." 

With  that  the  old  witch  took  farewell  of  the  two 
children,  and  strolled  home;  but  the  boy  had  no 
peace  from  that  hour.  He  wanted  to  go  and  bring  the 
world-sounding  tree ;  therefore  taking  farewell  of  his 
sister  with  bitter  tear-shedding  he  set  out  for  the  tree. 
He  was  going  and  travelling  across  forty-nine  king- 
doms till  he  came  to  a  dark  castle ;  this  was  the  first 


532       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

enchanted  castle.  A  big,  lame,  hairy  devil  stood 
there  on  guard  with  a  fearful  whip,  so  that  no  man 
might  enter.  The  hairy  devil  shouted  very  angrily 
at  our  boy :  "  Stop  !  Who  is  there?  " 

"  I,"  answered  the  little  boy. 

"  Who  is  '  I x  ?  " 

"  I." 

"  Art  thou  Yanoshka?  "  asked  the  devil. 

"  I  am." 

"  What  journey  art  thou  on?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  world-beautifully  sounding 
tree.  Hast  thou  not  heard  of  it,  my  lord  elder 
brother?  " 

"  I  have  not  heard  of  it ;  but  in  such  and  such  a 
place  my  brother  stands  guard,  and  if  he  has  not 
heard  of  it,  then  no  one  in  the  world  has." 

Yanoshka  went  forward  on  the  right  road  in  search 
of  the  world-sounding  tree.  He  travelled  and  jour- 
neyed till  he  came  to  another  enchanted  dark  castle ; 
there  a  big,  lame,  hairy  devil  was  standing  on  guard 
who  shouted  to  our  Yanoshka  in  great  anger.  Our 
Yanoshka  was  much  braver  now,  for  he  knew  he  had 
nothing  to  fear. 

"  Who  is  it?  "  called  out  the  devil. 
«  j  » 

"  Art  thou  Yanoshka?  " 

"  I  am,  at  the  service  of  my  lord  elder  brother." 
"  Why  art  thou  journeying  here  in   this   strange 
land,  where  even  a  bird  does  not  go?  " 


The  Hedgehog.  533 


"I  am  looking  for  the  world-beautifully  sounding 
tree.  Hast  thou  not  heard  of  it,  my  lord  elder 
brother?" 

"What  is  the  use  in  delay  or  denial?  I  have  not 
heard;  but  in  such  and  such  a  place  my  eldest 
brother  is  on  guard,  and  if  he  knows  nothing  of  it, 
then  no  one  in  the  world  knows." 

With  this  Yanoshka  moved  on  towards  the  third 
enchanted  castle ;  when  he  came,  there  was  a  big, 
lame,  hairy  devil  on  guard,  who  called  out  in  great 

anger  to  Yanoshka:   "Who  is  that?  " 
«  j  »» 

"Thou  art  Yanoshka?" 

"  I  am." 

"  Why  art  thou  journeying  here  in  this  strange 
land,  where  even  a  bird  does  not  go?" 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  world-beautifully  sound- 
ing tree.  Hast  thou  not  heard  of  it,  my  lord  elder 
brother?" 

"  Ho,  ho,  Yanoshka !  of  course  I  have ;  it  is  here  in 
the  garden  of  this  enchanted  palace.  Thou  mayest 
take  it,  but  only  if  thou  obey  my  words.  If  thou 
dost  not  value  them  or  dost  not  observe  them,  thou 
wilt  never  see  God's  bright  sky  or  the  shining  day 
again.  I  only  want  to  say  this:  Here  is  a  golden 
rod;  strike  the  wall  of  the  enchanted  castle  with  it 
three  times.  Straightway  a  door  will  open  before 
thee.  In  the  very  middle  of  the  garden  thou  wilt 
find  the  world-beautifully  sounding  tree.  Go  around 


534      Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

it  three  times  and  then  hurry  like  a  shot  arrow,  with 
the  speed  of  a  dog,  or  the  stone  wall  will  close,  and 
thou  wilt  remain  inside ;  and  if  thou  art  once  shut 
in,  God  have  mercy  and  pity  on  thee,  for  that  instant 
thou  wilt  be  turned  to  stone.  This  is  my  word  and 
speech ;  if  thou  cling  to  it,  thou  wilt  be  lucky ;  if 
not,  thou  wilt  be  wretched  forever." 

The  boy  took  the  golden  rod  and  struck  the  side  of 
the  enchanted  castle  with  it.  That  instant  the  door 
opened  before  him.  The  king's  son  did  not  inquire 
much  whether  he  might  enter  or  not;  in  a  moment 
he  ran  in  through  the  door  and  straight  to  the  gar- 
den. Every  kind  of  singing  and  dancing  maidens 
came  to  meet  him,  —  some  with  citharas  and  harps; 
some  played  on  cymbals  and  begged  him  to  play  and 
dance  with  them  ;  some  offered  rich  food  and  drink 
of  every  kind  agreeable  to  the  taste.  But  the  king's 
son  had  no  mind  to  eat  or  drink ;  he  pushed  aside 
the  maidens  and  ran  to  the  very  centre  of  the  garden, 
where  the  world-beautifully  sounding  tree  was ;  then 
he  went  around  it  three  times,  turning  toward  the 
point  whence  he  had  come.  That  done  he  rushed 
from  the  garden,  and  a  thousand  times  lucky  was  he. 
It  was  not  the  same  for  him  to  be  a  few  minutes  later, 
for  the  door  closed  and  bit  off  the  heel  of  his  boot ; 
but  he  did  not  care  much  about  the  heel  of  his  boot. 
He  ran  home  on  the  same  road  over  which  he  had 
come;  and  when  he  arrived,  the  world-beautifully 
sounding  tree  was  in  the  middle  of  the  flowery  gar- 


The  Hedgehog.  535 


den.  Hitherto  the  flowery  garden  had  been  in  good 
fame,  but  now  the  fame  was  seven  times  greater,  so 
that  people  came  from  seven  worlds  to  look  at  the 
tree ;  and  the  report  of  it  reached  the  king  himself, 
who  determined  in  his  mind  if  he  had  not  seen  it 
yet  he  would  now  at  least  go  to  see  it. 

As  soon  as  the  old  witch  divined  his  thought  she 
put  a  powder  in  his  coffee  so  that  he  became  sick, 
and  was  not  able  to  leave  the  room ;  then  she  stood 
before  him  without  invitation,  and  said:  "  High  king, 
as  thy  Highness  is  sick,  I  will  go  to  see  if  the  world- 
sounding  tree  is  as  beautiful  as  reported,  and  will  soon 
bring  back  word." 

The  king  in  one  way  or  another  agreed  to  the  old 
witch's  proposal,  and  let  her  go  to  see  the  world-beau- 
tifully  sounding  tree.  She  had  barely  put  foot  in  the 
flowery  garden  when  the  two  children  ran  out  to  her 
to  hear  what  the  old  woman  would  say  this  time. 

"  Beautiful  children,"  said  she,  "  beautiful  is  the 
garden  of  itself,  beautiful  is  the  sounding  tree,  but 
still  seven  times  more  beautiful  would  it  be  if  the 
world-sweetly  speaking  bird  were  to  sing  upon  it." 

"What  must  I  do?"  asked  the  little  boy. 

"  Nothing  else,"  answered  the  old  witch,  "  than 
this:  In  such  and  such  a  place  is  an  enchanted 
castle,  and  thence  it  would  be  necessary  to  bring 
the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird." 

Then  she  went  back;  and  from  that  hour  the 
king's  son  could  not  remain  at  home,  but  planned  to 


536       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

go  for  the  wo  rid- sweetly  speaking  bird.  Therefore, 
parting  with  his  sister  amidst  bitter  tear-shedding,  he 
started  through  the  kingdom  and  the  world  to  bring 
home  the  sweetly  speaking  bird ;  but  he  enjoined  on 
his  sister  that  if  the  third  day  he  were  not  at  home, 
she  should  set  out  to  seek  him  over  a  certain  road,  — 
and  with  that  the  king's  son  went  his  way. 

He  journeyed  and  travelled  across  forty-nine  king- 
doms to  the  first  enchanted  castle,  where  there  stood 
on  guard  a  big  hairy  devil,  who  had  a  terribly  large 
whip  in  his  hand,  to  kill,  without  pity  or  mercy,  every 
man  going  up  or  down.  Now,  the  hairy  devil  attacked 
Yanoshka  sharply  and  roughly,  thus:  — 

"  Who  art  thou?" 

"  I,  my  lord  elder  brother." 

"  Who  art  thou?  "  asked  the  devil  again. 

•"  I." 

"  Art  thou  Yanoshka?" 

•"  I  am." 

"  Why  art  thou  here  in  this  strange  land,  where 
'even  a  bird  does  not  go  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  for  the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird. 
Hast  thou  heard  of  it,  my  lord  elder  brother?  " 

"What  is  the  use  in  delay  or  denial?  I  have  not  in- 
deed heard.  But  over  there  lives  my  elder  brother ;  if 
he  knows  nothing  of  it,  then  no  one  in  the  world  knows." 

Now  the  king's  son  came  to  the  second  enchanted 
castle  ;  the  second  devil  sent  him  to  his  eldest  brother, 
the  big  lame  devil. 


The  Hedgehog.  537 


When  Yanoshka  came  to  the  third  castle,  the  devil 
asked,  "  Why  art  thou  here  in  this  strange  land,  where 
even  a  bird  does  not  go?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird. 
Hast  thou  not  heard  of  it,  lord  elder  brother,  in  thy 
world-beautiful  life?" 

"  Of  course  I  have ;  it  is  here  in  this  enchanted  cas- 
tle. Thou  mayest  take  it  away  if  thou  wilt  listen  to 
my  word ;  if  not,  better  thou  hadst  never  been  born. 
For  if  thou  wilt  not  observe  my  words,  thou  wilt  never 
see  God's  bright  sun  again.  I  only  wish  to  say :  Here 
is  a  golden  rod ;  take  it,  and  with  it  strike  the  wall  of 
the  enchanted  castle  three  times.  Straightway  the 
door  will  open  before  thee ;  pass  in,  run  to  the  end  of 
the  glass  corridor  and  across  eight  chambers.  In  the 
ninth  chamber  is  the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird  in  a 
rusty  cage.  Thou  wilt  find  there  every  kind  of  beau- 
tiful and  more  beautiful  golden  birds,  but  look  not  at 
them,  listen  not  to  them,  take  no  one  of  them,  but 
take  the  sweetly  speaking  bird  sitting  sadly  in  the 
rusty  cage.  Snatch  the  cage  in  an  instant,  and  rush 
from  the  enchanted  castle  as  if  thou  hadst  been  shot 
from  a  cannon." 

The  king's  son  took  the  golden  rod  and  struck  the 
wall  of  the  enchanted  castle  with  it  three  times,  and 
in  a  twinkle  the  door  opened  before  him.  The  king's 
son  then  asked  few  questions.  Whether  it  was  per- 
mitted or  not  he  ran  into  the  room  in  an  instant. 
While  he  was  running  to  the  end  of  the  glass  corri- 


538       Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

dor  he  was  called  by  name,  from  the  right  to  the  left, 
to  stop.  It  is  true  that  he  was  frightened,  but  he 
paid  no  heed.  He  ran  straight  to  the  first  chamber. 
Every  kind  of  flowers,  more  and  more  beautiful,  were 
in  golden  pots ;  but  the  king's  son  did  not  touch  them. 
He  ran  to  the  second  chamber.  In  that  were  all 
kinds  of  swords  and  guns,  but  he  did  not  choose 
from  them.  He  entered  the  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and 
in  this  way  till  he  came  to  the  ninth  chamber.  The 
ninth  chamber,  as  the  devil  had  told  him,  was  full  of 
all  kinds  of  golden  and  silver  cages,  and  in  them 
golden-feathered  birds,  more  and  more  beautiful,  were 
singing;  but  the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird  was 
drooping  there  sadly  in  a  rusty  cage,  and  was  not 
singing. 

As  the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird  was  not  golden- 
feathered  like  the  others,  it  did  not  please  the  king's 
son,  and  he  did  not  take  it,  but  chose  from  among  the 
many  golden-feathered  birds  the  prettiest,  and  wished 
to  take  that;  but  as  he  reached  towards  it,  suddenly, 
in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye,  he  was  turned  to  stone,  and 
the  door  of  the  stone  wall  closed  before  him. 

Now,  the  little  princess  every  God-given  day 
spread  the  table  for  her  good  brother,  but  he  did  not 
come.  Every  God-given  evening  she  went  out  before 
the  house  and  waited  till  nearly  midnight;  then  she 
spread  the  bed  for  him,  but  he  did  not  lie  in  it.  So 
the  first  day  passed,  and  the  second,  and  the  third,  — 
day  after  day,  but  still  the  dear  brother  came  not ; 


The  Hedgehog.  539 


therefore  the  princess,  crying  and  weeping,  went  out 
to  look  for  her  brother.  She  journeyed  and  travelled 
upon  his  trail  till  she  came  to  the  first  enchanted  cas- 
tle, and  the  second,  and  at  last  the  third.  The  devil 
there  stood  on  guard,  with  a  great  whip  like  a  chain,  so 
as  to  strike  on  the  head,  without  pity  or  mercy,  every 
one  going  up  or  down  ;  and  he  shouted  angrily  at  the 

little  girl,  "  Who  art  thou  ?  " 
«  j  »» 

"Thou  art  Marishka?"  For  meanwhile,  let  it  be 
said,  this  was  the  name  of  the  king's  son's  sister. 

"  I  am." 

"  Why  art  thou  travelling  in  this  strange  land, 
where  not  even  a  bird  goes?" 

"  I  am  looking  for  my  brother.  Hast  thou  not 
heard  of  him,  lord  elder  brother?" 

"  Of  course  I  have  heard,  —  of  course  !  He  is  in 
this  enchanted  castle,  turned  into  stone ;  he  had  to  be, 
for  he  would  not  obey  me.  Thou  wilt  go  that  way, 
too,  if  thou  wilt  not  hold  to  my  word." 

Now  the  little  girl  took  the  golden  rod  from  the 
devil,  who  told  her  what  to  do  with  it,  and  struck 
the  wall  of  the  enchanted  castle  with  it  three  times. 
The  door  opened  before  her  in  a  twinkle,  the  princess 
ran  in ;  but  she  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  the 
left.  She  ran  straight  to  the  ninth  chamber;  there 
she  took  the  rusty  cage,  struck  her  brother  three 
times  on  the  side  with  the  rod,  then  ran  as  if  shot 
from  a  cannon.  And  a  thousand-fold  was  her  luck 


54-O        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

that  she  did  not  delay  an  eye-twinkle  longer,  for  the 
stone-wall  door,  as  it  was,  cut  the  edge  of  her  skirt 
off  when  it  closed. 

The  princess  had  barely  come  out  of  the  enchanted 
castle  when  she  heard  behind  her  frightful  thunder- 
ing, hammering  and  blowing,  swearing  and  cursing, 
with  threats ; .  they  shouted  after  her :  "  Wait,  thou  !  — 
this-and-that-kind-of-wretch,  it  will  soon  be  bitter  for 
thee  ! "  But  she  did  not  turn  to  them;  she  ran  like  a 
hunted  deer  till  she  reached  home.  Who  was  waiting 
for  her  there?  No  one  else  but  her  dear  brother. 

The  brother  and  sister  then  put  up  the  sweetly 
speaking  bird  on  the  world-beautifully  sounding  tree, 
and  the  sweetly  speaking  bird  spoke,  sang  more 
sweetly  than  any  cithara,  so  that  whoever  heard 
it  became  ten  years  younger.  If  the  flowery  garden 
had  been  famous  before,  it  now  stood  in  seven  times 
greater  fame,  so  that  from  seven  kingdoms  the  peo- 
ple came  to  look  at  it;  and  the  king,  hearing  of 
the  fair  fame  of  the  flowery  garden,  resolved  in 
his  mind  that,  though  he  had  not  gone  yet,  he  would 
go  to  see  it  now. 

The  old  witch  barely  divined  this  intention  of  the 
king  when  she  gave  him  powders  in  black  coffee, 
from  which  the  king  became  so  sick  that  this  time, 
too,  his  visit  to  the  beautiful  garden  came  to  nothing. 
And  then  the  old  woman,  without  invitation,  stood 
before  him,  and  said :  "  High  king,  thou  hast  such  a 
great  desire  to  see  the  flowery  garden,  I  will  go  at 


The  Hedgehog.  541 

once,  and  bring  back  word  if  its  beauty  is  as  great 
as  its  fame." 

The  king  agreed,  and  the  old  woman  went  to  see  the 
flowery  garden.  She  had  barely  put  foot  in  it  when 
the  two  children  ran  out  to  meet  her,  received  her  very 
cordially,  and  did  not  know  where  to  seat  her. 

"  Beautiful  children,"  began  the  old  sinner,  "  the 
marble  palace  is  beautiful,  the  flowery  garden  is 
beautiful,  the  world-sweetly  speaking  bird  is  beau- 
tiful; but  the  flowery  garden  would  be  still  more 
beautiful  if  the  silver  lake  were  flowing  in  it,  and  in 
the  lake  golden  fish  were  playing." 

"What  must  I  do  to  get  the  lake?"  asked  the 
king's  son. 

"  Only  this,"  answered  the  old  skeleton.  "  In  a 
certain  place,  in  an  enchanted  castle,  is  the  world-sil- 
ver lake,  and  in  it  the  world-golden  fish ;  it  is  only 
necessary  to  go  for  the  silver  lake,  for  the  golden  fish 
will  come  in  it.  All  that  is  needed  is  to  bring  the 
lake." 

Then  the  old  woman  took  leavd  of  the  pair  pleas- 
antly, and  went  home.  But  the  king's  son  from  that 
day  had  no  rest,  so  he  took  leave  of  his  dear  sister, 
and  went  out  into  the  world  for  the  silver  lake.  He 
travelled  and  journeyed  across  forty-nine  kingdoms, 
and  the  Operentsia  Sea,  till  he  came  to  the  first  en- 
chanted castle.  A  devil  was  guarding  there,  who  sent 
him  to  his  elder  brother,  and  he  to  his  eldest.  The 
king's  son  arrived  at  the  third  enchanted  palace.  A 


542        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

devil  stood  guard  there,  with  an  enormous  knotty 
club,  to  hit  every  man  going  up  or  down,  without 
mercy  or  pity. 

"  God   give   thee    good    evening,    my   lord   elder 
brother." 

"  God  receive  thee,  Yanoshka ;  whither  art  thou  far- 
ing in  this  strange  land,  where  not  even  a  bird  goes  ?  " 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  world-silver  lake.    Hast  thou 
not  heard  of  it,  lord  elder  brother?  " 

"  Of  course  I  have  heard,  —  of  course ;  it  is  here  in 
this  enchanted  castle.  But,  my  younger  brother,  thou 
wilt  have  to  tie  up  thy  drawers  well  if  't  is  thy  wish  to 
take  that  away ;  for  if  thou  dost  not  obey  my  word, 
I  tell  thee,  on  my  true  soul,  that  thou  wilt  reach  Pilate 
by  supper-time.  I  wish  to  say  this :  Here  is  a  golden 
rod ;  strike  the  side  of  the  enchanted  palace  with  it, 
and  suddenly  the  door  will  open  before  thee,  run  in 
straight  to  the  garden.  Thou  wilt  hear  thy  name 
called,  but  listen  not.  Every  kind  of  beautiful  maiden 
will  come  before  thee,  offering  meat  and  drink;  but 
eat  not,  neither  drink.  Thou  wilt  find  on  the  way 
every  kind  of  rich  thing,  —  gold,  silver,  diamonds,  — 
but  touch  nothing.  Then  every  kind  of  disgusting 
snake  and  toad  will  come  out,  but  be  not  afraid ;  run 
straight  to  the  silver  lake,  which  flows  in  the  garden, 
run  around  it  three  times  towards  home,  and  then  run 
out  as  thou  didst  go  in." 

Well,  the  king's  son  took  the  golden  rod,  struck 
the  side  of  the  enchanted  castle  three  times,  and  the 


The  Hedgehog.  543 


door  opened  before  him;  scarcely  had  he  put  foot 
inside  when  maidens  called  him  by  name.  "  This 
way,  this  way,  Yanoshka !  Eat,  drink,  with  relish, 
Yanoshka !  This  way,  Yanoshka,  my  embracing  two 
arms  are  open  to  thee,  run  no  farther !  " 

The  king's  son,  as  if  deaf,  did  not  listen,  but  ran 
farther.  Then  maidens  more  and  more  beautiful 
came  before  him,  —  some  sprang  at  him,  dangled 
their  golden  hair  in  his  face ;  the  king's  son  did  not 
stop,  but  struck  at  them  rudely,  rushing  on.  He  had 
barely  left  the  maidens  when  he  fell  on  to  piles  of 
treasure  thrown  in  his  way:  beaten  gold  was  piled 
high,  and  milk-white  silver  coin,  —  here  every  kind  of 
diamond  ring,  there  swords  set  in  diamonds ;  but  the 
king's  son  touched  nothing,  and  ran  on.  Then  every 
kind  of  crawling,  creeping  thing  swarmed  around  him, 
—  here  hissing  snakes,  there  warty  toads.  Yanoshka 
looked  not  under  his  feet,  but  ran  till  he  came  to  the 
silver  lake,  around  which  he  rushed  three  times,  and 
went  out  as  he  had  come.  A  thousand-fold  was  his 
fortune,  for  had  he  been  an  instant  later  the  stone 
wall  would  have  closed  before  him ;  as  it  was  it  took 
the  heel  off  his  boot,  but  he  cared  nothing  for  that. 
He  left  his  boots  there  and  ran  home  barefoot ;  when 
he  reached  home  the  silver  lake  was  already  flowing 
through  the  flowery  garden,  and  in  it  all  kinds  of 
precious  golden  fish  were  jumping. 

Hitherto  the  marble  palace  and  the  flowery  garden 
with  the  sounding  tree  and  the  sweetly  speaking  bird 


544        Magyar  Myths  and  Folk -Tales. 

had  been  in  fair  fame,  but  now,  when  the  silver  lake 
was  flowing  through  the  garden,  and  golden  fish 
playing  in  it,  now  I  say  their  fame  spoke  to  the  seven 
worlds,  and  people  came  to  look  at  them.  When  this 
reached  the  ears  of  the  king  he  resolved  that  he 
would  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  he  saw  the  marble 
palace  with  all  its  wonders.  Though  the  old  witch 
offered  him  black  coffee  repeatedly,  the  king  did  not 
take  it;  but  sitting  in  the  golden  carriage  with  his  wife, 
he  drove  to  see  the  flowery  garden. 

Scarcely  had  the  king  and  queen  entered  the 
flowery  garden  when  the  brother  and  sister  ran  out 
before  them,  panting,  and  kissed  their  hands. 

"  Oh,  father,  this  little  girl  is  like  thee !  "  cried  the 
queen ;  "  she  is  thy  carved  second !  " 

"  And  the  little  boy  looks  like  thee,"  answered  the 
king. 

Well,  the  king  and  the  queen  went  around  the 
garden  in  order,  and  they  could  not  do  justice  to  its 
beauty;  when  they  saw  the  sounding  tree  and  the 
sweetly  speaking  bird,  they  clapped  their  hands.  The 
boy  went  up  in  a  moment  on  the  sounding  tree,  plucked 
from  it  a  couple  of  golden  apples,  gave  one  to  the  king 
and  the  other  to  the  queen,  who  could  not  praise  suffi- 
ciently his  kindness.  Then  the  king  and  queen  looked 
at  the  silver  lake  and  the  golden  fish  in  it ;  they  visited 
the  marble  palace,  and  went  from  chamber  to  cham- 
ber till  they  had  gone  through  seven  in  order. 

The  king  and  queen  were  unable  to  praise  suffi- 


The  Hedgehog.  545 


ciently  the  beauty  of  the  rooms ;  but  when  they  came 
to  the  most  beautiful  of  all,  the  king  found  this  to  say, 
speaking  speech :  "  Well,  my  little  servant,  wilt  thou 
not  answer  a  question  of  mine?  " 

"  And  what  is  it?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  why  that  picture  is  covered 
with  velvet,  and  what  it  depicts." 

One  word  is  not  much,  but  the  king's  little  son  did 
not  say  that  much;  speechless  he  drew  the  velvet 
covering  aside.  The  king  and  queen  were  amazed, 
and  knew  their  own  children,  whom  they  had  never 
seen  before.  One  embraced  one  of  them,  and  the 
other  the  other ;  they  could  not  speak,  but  they  wept 
and  laughed,  and  then  the  world-sounding  tree  and 
the  sweetly  speaking  bird  were  heard. 

Great  was  the  rejoicing  of  every  kind,  but  sad  grew 
the  old  sinner  when  the  king  seized  her,  made  her  fast 
to  a  tree,  and  piled  up  beneath  her  a  fire  of  sulphur. 


NOTES. 


a 

as 

a 

ai 

" 

ai 

i  accented 

« 

ee 

3       " 

« 

kh  and  h 

a 

ch 

o  accented 

« 

0 

o  unaccented 

« 

u 

u 

« 

oo 

LETTERS  in  the  Russian  names  and  titles  in  this  volume 
have  the  following  values  :  — 

in  hat 
"  bait 
"  beet 

the  French/ 
ch  in  the  Gaelic  loch 
in  bone 
"      full 
"  moon 

In  this  volume  Russian  names  and  titles  without  printed 
accents  are  accented  on  the  penult.  Names  and  titles  accented 
on  syllables  other  than  the  penult  have  the  accents  indicated 
in  the  following  list:  — 

Addr  Feddt  Kirbftyevna 

Afrdn  Gordh  Simedn 

Andrdnovich  Gosuddr  Svaitozdr 

Baba-Yagd  Iva"n  Vdronovich 

Buldt  Ivdnushka  Ye'lena 

Dolmdt  Kirbi't 

The  few  titles  in  the  Russian  tales  are  :  — 

Tsarevich,  Tsar's  son. 

Tsarevna,  "       daughter. 

Tsaritsa  "       wife. 

Korolyevna,  Kings  daughter,  princess. 


548  Notes. 


In  Chekh  and  Magyar  the  accent  is  always  on  the  first 
syllable. 

In  the  Magyar  consonantal  combinations  cs  =  ch,  gy  =  dy, 
s  =  sh.  Examples  are  Csako,  pronounced  Chako,  —  one  of  the 
cows  sold  by  the  poor  man  to  the  King  of  the  Crows.  This  is 
a  name  given  in  Hungary  to  a  cow  with  horns  grown  outward. 
Kiss  Miklos,  pronounced  Kish  Miklosh,  means  in  English 
Nicholas  Little.  Magyar  is  pronounced  Modyor,  the  unac- 
cented a  in  Magyar  being  the  equivalent,  or  nearly  so,  of  our  o. 

The  Russian  myth-tales  in  this  volume  are  all  taken  from 
Afanasyeff's1  collection.  At  the  end  of  each  title  are  given, 
in  parentheses,  the  part  and  page  of  the  tale  in  the  original 
work. 


THE  THREE  KINGDOMS,  —  THE  COPPER,  THE  SILVER, 
AND  THE  GOLDEN.     Page  i.     (Part  vii.  p.  97.) 

The  first  name,  that  of  the  Tsar  Bail  Bailyanyin,  is  best  trans- 
lated as  "  White  of  White  Land."  There  is  in  Russian  mythology 
•a  lady  of  unspeakable  beauty,  Nastasya  or  Anastasya  of  the  sea, 
who  causes  the  sun  to  blush  twice  each  day  ;  she  is  perhaps 
the  Nastasya,  Golden  Tress,  of  this  story.  Bail  Bailyanyin, 
"White  of  White  Land,"  may  well  be  Bail  Bog,  the  White  God 
of  pre-Christian  Russians.  And  here  a  few  words  touching  the 
persistence  of  myth-conceptions  may  not  be  out  of  place.  In 
the  tales  of  the  Indians,  and  in  fact  of  all  men  who  have  retained 
firm  traces  of  primitive  thought,  the  people  of  the  myth-tellers 
are  on  the  side  of  light  and  goodness,  and  their  enemies  on  that 
of  darkness  and  harm.  This  is  parallel  with  the  antithesis  of 
day  and  night.  The  Russian  phrases  baili  dyen,  baili  svait, 
"  white  day,"  "  white  world,"  are  good  examples  of  the  old-time 
idea  with  which  is  connected,  in  all  likelihood,  the  title  Baili 
Tsar,  "  the  White  Tsar,"  still  existent  in  Russia. 

1  The  Russian  title  of  Afanasyeff's  work  is,  "  Narodniya  Russkiya 
Skazki.  A.  N.  Afanasieva,  Moskva."  There  are  eight  parts,  usually 
bound  in  three  volumes,  and  dated  1860-61-63. 


Notes.  549 


IVAN  TSAREVICH,  THE  FIRE-BIRD,  AND  THE  GRAY 
WOLF.     Page  20.     (Part  vii.  p   121.) 

The  variants  of  this  tale  among  the  Russians  and  other 
Slavs,  as  well  as  in  Germany,  are  many,  and  would  fill  a  volume 
of  good  size  if  collected  and  published.  In  some  Russian 
variants  Ivan  Tsarevich  retains  Yelena  the  Beautiful,  not 
through  the  art  and  friendship  of  the  Wolf,  but  by  his  own 
craft  and  daring.  When  he  has  received  the  golden-maned 
steed  in  exchange  for  Yelena,  and  is  going,  he  asks  to  take  leave 
of  the  maiden  ;  the  request  is  granted.  He  raises  the  beauty  to 
the  saddle-bow,  puts  spurs  to  the  steed,  rises  in  the  air,  shoots 
on  above  the  standing  forest,  below  the  moving  cloud,  vanishes, 
holds  on  his  way  till  he  comes  to  the  Tsar  to  whom  he  had 
promised  to  give  the  steed  for  the  Fire-Bird.  When  the  time 
comes  for  parting  he  asks  to  take  a  last  ride  on  the  steed,  if  only 
through  the  courtyard  ;  the  Tsar  agrees.  Ivan  mounts  with  the 
cage  in  his  hand ;  the  steed  rises  as  before,  and  he  vanishes, 
comes  to  the  place  where  he  had  left  Yelena,  and  fares  home- 
ward with  her  till  he  meets  his  evil  brothers. 


IVAN  THE  PEASANT'S  SON  AND  THE  LITTLE  MAN  HIMSELF 
ONE  -  FINGER  TALL,  HIS  MUSTACHE  SEVEN  VERSTS  IN 
LENGTH.  Page  37.  (Part  viii.  p.  109.) 

[Written  down  in  the  government  of  Saratoff,  by  Guskdff.] 

In  this  tale  we  have  Freezer  and  Great  Eater,  with  powers 
exhibited  on  a  smaller  scale  than  those  of  the  comrades  of  Kiss 
Miklos  in  the  Magyar  myth.  The  picture  of  the  boat  serving 
for  the  reality  has  its  parallel  quite  frequently  in  Indian  belief. 


THE  FEATHER  OF  BRIGHT  FINIST  THE  FALCON. 
Page  47.     (Part  viii.  p.  i.) 

Written  down  in  the  government  of  Vologda. 


550  Notes. 


THE  PIG  WITH  GOLD  BRISTLES,  THE  DEER  WITH  GOLDEN 
HORNS,  AND  THE  GOLDEN-MANED  STEED  WITH  GOLDEN 
TAIL.  Page  59.  (Part  ii.  p.  268.) 

Written  down  in  the  government  of  Voronej. 

WATER  OF  YOUTH,  WATER  OF  LIFE,  AND  WATER  OF  DEATH. 
Page  72.     (Part  vii.  p.  66.) 

The  sleeping  maiden  in  this  tale,  with  her  slumbering  host, 
reminds  us  at  once  of  the  Queen  of  Tubber  Tintye  in  "  The 
King  of  Erin  and  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island."  See 
"Myths  and  Folk-lore  of  Ireland." 

THE  FOOTLESS  AND  BLIND  CHAMPIONS. 
Page  82.     (Part  v.  p.  164.) 

This  tale  has  many  variants  in  Russian,  and  resembles  the 
Briinhilde  and  Gunter  story  in  the  "  Niebelungen  Lied." 

THE  THREE  KINGDOMS.    Page  97.    (Part  viii.  p.  91.) 

This  story  is  remarkable  for  the  change  or  metamorphosis 
of  Raven,  the  great  power,  into  a  common  raven  after  his  defeat 
by  Ivan  Tsarevich  and  the  surrender  of  the  feather  staff. 

Raven  is  a  great  personage  in  American  mythology,  especially 
in  that  of  the  Modocs.  Whenever  he  appeared  and  uttered  his 
spell  with  an  ominous  laugh,  everything  was  turned  to  stone. 
There  are  many  rock  groups  of  Eastern  Oregon  described  in 
the  myths  as  ancient  mighty  personages  turned  into  stone  by 
Raven.  As  soon  as  the  body  became  stone,  however,  the  spirit 
escaped,  and  took  physical  form  in  some  other  place.  Over  the 
spirit,  Raven  had  no  power. 

KOSHCHEI  WITHOUT-DEATH.     Page  106.    (Part  vii.  p.  72.) 
[Written  down  in  the  government  of  Archangel.] 

This  name  has  been  translated,  but  incorrectly,  Koshchdi, 
the  "  Deathless ''  or  "  Immortal."  Koshchei  was  not  deathless. 


Notes.  551 


His  death  was  in  the  world,  but  in  a  place  apart  from  him,  which 
is  simply  another  way  of  saying  that  the  source  of  his  life  was 
at  a  distance.  We  may  find  in  this  fact  one  very  important 
clew  to  the  discovery  of  the  nature  of  personages  like  Koshchdi. 
No  matter  how  they  are  cut  up  or  slaughtered,  where  they  act, 
they  are  alive  and  as  strong  as  ever  next  instant  ;  it  is  as  vain 
to  try  to  kill  them  by  attacking  their  bodies  as  it  is  to  destroy 
winter  by  making  bonfires  in  the  open  country,  or  destroy  the 
summer  by  artificial  cooling.  There  are  two  ways  by  which 
we  may  draw  conclusions  as  to  who  these  personages  are,  —  one 
by  discovering  what  or  where  their  life  or  death  is,  the  other  by 
examining  their  acts.  We  do  not  know  much  at  present  about 
Koshchei,  from  the  fact  that  his  death  is  in  a  duck's  egg  ;  but  if 
we  could  learn  who  the  women  are  whom  he  carries  away,  that 
would  throw  light  on  his  character.  Let  us  take  an  American 
example.  There  is  a  personage,  Winter,  in  a  certain  Indian 
myth  whose  heart  is  hidden  away  at  a  distance,  and  whose  song 
brings  frost  and  snow.  The  heart  is  found  by  the  enemy  of 
the  Snow-maker;  this  enemy  burns  it,  and  the  Snow-maker  dies. 
In  another  Indian  myth  the  hero's  enemy  is  pounded  to  pieces, 
but  comes  to  life,  is  killed  repeatedly  without  result.  At  last 
the  hero  learns  that  his  enemy's  heart  is  in  the  sky,  at  the 
western  side  of  the  sun  at  midday;  straightway  he  reaches  up, 
gets  the  heart,  crushes  it,  and  his  enemy  dies.  In  this  case  the 
enemy  is  surely  not  a  snow-maker. 


VASSILISSA  GOLDEN  TRESS,  BAREHEADED  BEAUTY. 
Page  124.     (Part  viii.  p.  367.) 

[Written  down  by  Bronnitski.] 

The  name  of  the  Tsar  Svaitozar  means  "light-shining," 
"resplendent." 

The  wise  blacksmith  of  the  Savage  Serpent  receives  a  reward 
from  Ivan  Tsarevich  similar  to  that  given  by  Cuculin  to  the 
Strong  Smith  in  "  Myths  and  Folk-lore  of  Ireland;"  he  is  made 
king. 


552  Notes. 


THE  RING  WITH  TWELVE  SCREWS. 
Page  137.     (Part  viii.  p.  541.) 

THE  FOOTLESS  AND  THE  BLIND.   Page  149.   (Part  viii.  p.  191.) 

The  struggle  to  the  bitter  end  between  Nikita  and  Yelena 
the  Beautiful  is  well  brought  out  in  this  tale. 

KOSHCHEI  WITHOUT-DEATH.     Page  165.    (Part  viii.  p.  69.) 

For  an  interesting  parallel  to  this  tale,  see  "  Phakir  Chand  " 
in  "  Folk-tales  of  Bengal,"  by  the  Rev.  Lai  Behari  Day. 

Go    TO   THE  VERGE  OF   DESTRUCTION    AND   BRING  BACK 
SHMAT-RAZUM.     Page  179.     (Part  vii.  p.  38.) 

In  the  original  text  the  last  task  given  by  the  king  is  to  go 
"  I  know  not  where  and  bring  back  I  know  not  what."  Shmat- 
Razum  is  a  variant. 

MARYA  MOREVNA.     Page  203.     (Part  viii.  p.  98.) 

Morevna  means  "daughter  of  the  sea." 

This  is  a  very  fine  tale,  in  which  the  ancient  characters  are 
well  preserved.  Koshchdi  Without-Death,  however,  has  his 
death  with  him  this  time. 

YELENA  THE  WISE.     Page  218.     (Part  vii.  p.  304.) 

THE  SEVEN  SIMEONS,  FULL  BROTHERS. 
Page  228.     (Part  i.  p.  370.) 

The  Simeons  remind  us  at  once  of  the  brothers  in  "  Fin  Mac- 
Cumhail,  the  Seven  Brothers,  and  the  King  of  France."  See 
"  Myths  and  Folk-lore  of  Ireland." 

THE  ENCHANTED  PRINCESS.     Page  238.     (Part  viii.  p.  138.) 

This  tale  contains  a  good  deal  of  myth  material.  Specially 
interesting  is  the  withering  of  the  trees  when  the  soldier  is  put  to 
sleep,  and  their  budding  forth  when  South  Wind  brings  him^back. 


Notes. 


553 


VASSILISSA  THE  CUNNING,  AND  THE  TSAR  OF  THE 
SEA.     Page  249.     (Part  vi.  p.  218.) 

Vassilissa  is  written  Vasilisa  in  Russian.  I  have  doubled 
the  s  to  assist  the  reader,  but  regret  now  that  I  did  not  preserve 
the  Russian  orthography  and  call  attention  to  the  pronunciation. 

Tsar  Unchristened  Forehead  is  in  the  original  text,  and  Tsar 
of  the  Sea  is  given  as  a  variant.  I  have  taken  the  variant,  which 
is  undoubtedly  earlier  than  the  name  in  the  text.  The  battle 
between  beasts  and  birds  in  the  beginning  of  the  tale  is  very 
curious.  In  Indian  mythology  struggles  between  beasts  and 
birds  are  common;  not,  however,  beasts  and  birds  of  the 
present  kind,  but  the  beings  who  lived  before  men  appeared, 
and  who  fell  from  their  former  high  places,  becoming  such 
beasts  and  birds  as  those  that  we  see  now.  The  eagle  in  this 
story  corresponds  in  character  to  the  mythologic  birds  before 
their  fall. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  struggles  for  superiority  in  Indian 
myths  are  not  carried  on  through  fighting  (the  usual  method  in 
Aryan  myths),  but  through  trials  of  skill,  strength,  dexterity, 
—  through  playing  ball,  dice,  foot-races,  wrestling,  and  shooting. 
The  opponents  always  bet  their  heads,  and  the  head  of  the 
losing  party  is  cut  off  without  delay. 

The  "  Chekh  Myths  and  Folk-Tales,"  except  "  The  Cuirassier 
and  the  Horned  Princess,"  are  taken  from  a  work  in  two  parts 
called,  "  Folk-Tales,"  by  J.  K.  z.  Radostova.1  Prague,  1872. 

BOYISLAY,  YOUNGEST  OF  TWELVE.    (Part  ii.  p.  241.) 

THE  TABLE,  THE  PACK,  AND  THE  BAG.    (Part  i.  p.  81.) 

THE  KING  OF  THE  TOADS.    (Part  i.  p.  133.) 

THE   MOUSE-HOLE,  AND   THE   UNDERGROUND  KINGDOM. 
(In  the  original,  "  Mouse-Hole."     Part  ii.  p.  361.) 

1  Narodni  Pohadky,  od  J.  K.  z.  Radostova.     V.  Praze,  1872. 


554  Notes. 


THE  TREACHEROUS  BROTHERS.     (Part  ii.  p.  321.) 

"  The  Cuirassier  and  the  Horned  Princess  "  (in  the  original, 
"Concerning  a  Cuirassier")  is  taken  from  "Moravian  Folk- 
Tales,  Stories,  Customs,  and  Beliefs,"  collected  and  written 
down  by  Benesh  Method  Kulda.1  Prague,  1874.  This  work 
is  in  two  parts. 


The  "  Magyar  Myths  and  Folk-Tales  "  are  taken  from  the  fol- 
lowing sources,  — 

From  "  Original  Folk-Tales  of  the  Sayo  Valley,"  collected 
by  Ldszld  Merenyi.2     (2  parts). 

THE  POOR  MAN,  AND  THE  KING  OF  THE  CROWS. 
(Part  ii.  p.  113.) 

KlSS    MlKLOS,    AND  THE    GREEN    DAUGHTER    OF  THE    GREEN 

KING.    (In  the  original,  "  The  Lead  Friend."    Part  i.  p.  I.) 

From  "  Original  Folk-Tales,"  collected  by  Laszl6  Merdnyi.8 
Pest,  1861.     (2  parts). 

THE  REED  MAIDEN.     (Part  ii.  p.  35.) 

From  "  Original  Folk-Tales  of  the  Danube  Border,"  collected 
by  La"szl<5   Mere'nyi.4      (2  parts). 

THE  USELESS  WAGONER.    (Part  ii.  p.  143.) 

THE  HEDGEHOG,  THE  MERCHANT,  THE  KING,  AND  THE  POOR 
MAN.    (In  the  original,  "  The  Hedgehog."     Part  ii.  p.  5.) 

1  Moravske  Narodni  Pohadky,  Povesti,  ObyCeje  a  Povery  sebral  a 
napsal.     BeneS  Method  Kulda.     V.  Praze,  1874. 

2  Sajovolgyi  Eredeti  Nepmesek  Osszegyiijtotte.     Merenyi  Laszlo. 
Pest,  1862. 

8  Eredeti  Nepmesek  Osszegyiijtotte.    Merenyi  Laszlo.    Pest,  1861. 
*  Dunamelleki  Eredeti  Nepmesek  Osszegyujtotte.  Merenyi  Laszlo. 
Pest,  1864. 


Notes.  555 


From  "  Wild  Roses.  A  Collection  of  the  Mental  Creations 
of  the  Sekler  People,"  by  Yanosh  Kriza.1  Klausenburg,  1863. 
(Volume  I.,  all,  I  believe,  that  was  published,  contains  ballads 
songs,  and  tales.) 

MIRKO,  THE  KING'S  SON.    (Part  i.  p.  436.) 

This  beautiful  tale  was  printed  in  the  Keresturfiszek  variety 
of  Sekler  Magyar,  and  has  not  been  put  into  ordinary  Magyar, 
so  far  as  I  know. 

1  Vadroszak,  Szekely  Nepkoltesi  GyUjtemeny.  Szerkeszti  Kriza 
Janos.  Kolozsvartt,  1863. 


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